The Power of Seven
by Kihonne
Summary: When Mighty Med is destroyed, Davenport sends his bionic children, Bree and Chase, along with former lab assistant Calla, to join forces with superheroes Dani, Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar to form the Elite Force. But as they work to track down the villains responsible, secrets and unknown dangers threaten to tear the team apart. Will they suffer defeat? Or will they emerge triumphant?
1. The Rise of Seven

**Kihonne: Alright! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Kihonne, and this, The Power of Seven, is the third installment in my Elite Force series. If you haven't read either of the first two, The Lab Assistant and The Days of Our Lives, then I really suggest you do, as there will be characters and references to events in both stories that won't make much sense if you haven't read them. Anyway, I've been really excited to bring you this story for a very long time, so welcome, and I really hope you enjoy it.**

 **Oh, and before I forget, since the age continuities with both stories are a little wonky, here are the main characters' ages for my story:**

 **Bree – 20**

 **Calla and Chase – 19**

 **Kaz, Oliver, Dani, and Skylar – 17**

 **Kihonne: Anyway! On with the story!**

 **Calla: Kihonne doesn't own Elite Force, Lab Rats, or Mighty Med. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Calla's POV**

I stepped out of the limo and onto the sidewalk, staring up at the massive skyscraper in front of me. The entire seemed to be made up of these massive towers, but this building was different. Not just because of the sleek, stylish design, or the fact that it stood high above the others, but because of the…special addition on the front of the tower, poking out from what I guessed was the 40-something-th floor.

"Is that your head?" I questioned, twisting around to give my boss, a Mr. Donald Davenport, a look. He chuckled, nodding.

"The building needed a little something." He replied.

"And what's better than a massive bust of your head?" Chase added jokingly, grabbing a couple of bags from the trunk of the limo. He walked over to me, handing me my duffle bag. "Here."

"Thanks." I smiled at him before looking back at the building. Davenport Tower. This was where Mr. Davenport and his brother Douglas had started their careers as inventors and entrepreneurs, and, for the foreseeable future, it was to be my home. Our home.

"Let's go." Bree insisted, adjusting her jacket and shouldering her own duffle bag. After thanking the chauffer, Mr. Davenport followed her inside.

"You ready?" Chase asked me, offering me his hand. I smiled and took it, my stomach full of butterflies, although whether it was nervousness or excitement, I did not know.

It had been a crazy week for all of us, that's for sure. Three days ago, I'd fallen asleep in my own bed at the Bionic Academy, where I'd previously worked as a mentor for the young, bionic students. But after the upgrade that Davenport and Douglas had given to the students, and after a brief kidnapping by the older Davenport's psychotic ex-girlfriend and the android enemy we'd made when we were sixteen, the students no longer needed us. So Davenport had made us an offer to help form a new team, to start on a new adventure. And while our beloved friends and family, Adam, Leo, and Jaden, had stayed behind in Mission Creek to handle things there, Bree, Chase, and I had agreed to come to Centium City to help Mr. Davenport with this new project.

"What floor are we going to?" Bree's voice drew me out of my thoughts as the elevator continued to rise, the numbers flashing across the screen above the doors growing higher and higher.

"The top one." Mr. Davenport grinned at her, clearly excited to show us our new home. Finally, the elevator stopped, the screen shining the number '110' at us in bold, red lines.

The elevator doors opened up into a tiny hallway, a stylish light fixture the only thing in room aside from a grey door a few feet away us.

"This is the 110th floor of Davenport Tower," my boss informed us as he pulled out a keycard and swiped it across the scanner, "and this is your new home."

The door opened and we all stepped inside, glancing around the room. It was just as stylish as him home back in Mission Creek (as both the friend of his kids and his son's girlfriend, I'd spent a lot of time in that mansion over the years), but with a brown, blue, and grey color scheme instead. The living room was large, with twice the amount of room that we'd actual need for the four of us, increasing my suspicions that we wouldn't be the only ones on this new team of his. The entire far wall was made of glass, giving us an incredible view of the city, and revealing a large terrace just beyond the kitchen.

"Eight chairs." Chase noted quietly, nodding at the large kitchen table. Sure enough, there was room for eight around the table, and more room at the kitchen island.

"This is incredible!" Bree exclaimed, looking around.

"Check out that view." Chase agreed.

"I love it already." I breathed, still looking around. I noticed two sets of stairs in the room, one near the kitchen area, and the other sitting between the front door and a sleek fireplace. A few feet away from the fireplace was a desk with a couple of chairs, a large computer screen in front of it.

"This is where I spent my years as a bachelor." Mr. Davenport reminisced nostalgically. "Oh, if these walls could talk…oh, wait. They can talk. Walls off! Walls off!"

"Amazing." I murmured, looking out the window. You could see the cars speeding through the streets below us, so very different than our little town in California.

"Hey, come out on the terrace for a second." Mr. Davenport urged us, heading towards the set of glass doors. "I want to show you something."

The doors opened up for as we walked out onto the terrace, the midday sun shining down on us. Just like inside, the terrace was nicely decorated, with a number of fake plants, a few beach chairs, and a small side table with a couple of comfortable looking chairs sitting next to it. In the middle, only a few feet away from the terrace's half-wall, was a massive, holographic emblem. It was shaped like a black shield, with a glowing blue outline, and the letters E and F, positioned back to back in large, bold silvery letters, sat directly in the middle, the top lines of their lettering poking out just past the edge of the emblem.

"This is holographic emblem represents your new team, or as I like to call it, an Elite Force." Mr. Davenport told us.

"Cool," Chase grinned. "So, when do we get to meet the others?"

Mr. Davenport smiled slyly at that. "Right now."

He reached forward and swiped his hand through the emblem. It began to spin wildly, glowing brighter and brighter until it disappeared in a white light, revealing the four people hidden behind it.

The first one, the one on the left, was a skinny guy with short brown hair. He wasn't particularly tall, I noted, not that much taller than Bree. On the right was a young woman with slightly curly brown hair, with the ends a much lighter shade than most of her hair. Just behind them was a taller, black haired boy with a serious expression on his face. And in front of all three of them was a tall girl with a short, auburn colored bob cut, the bangs falling into her face. All four of them appeared to be maybe a year or two younger than us, and were standing with their arms crossed, clearly trying to look heroic and cool or something.

I recognized all of them on sight; Oliver Short, Skylar Storm, Kaz Broadman, and Dani Short. We'd met Oliver, Skylar, and Kaz several months ago, due to Chase being seriously injured by an intruder in the Academy. The boys had worked at a hospital for superheroes (and I thought my job was the coolest one out there), and had offered to help save his life while Skylar helped Adam, Bree, and Jaden track down the intruder. As for Dani, I'd met her only a couple of weeks after that, at a Comic Con convention that went from cool to crazy after we were kidnapped by a giant and a lizard dude. I had to admit though, as much as I liked the four of them, I was surprised to see them here.

"Check it out! I used the 3D hologram wall! Kaz, Skylar, Dani, and Oliver had been standing here the entire time!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed gleefully. The four of them exchanged annoyed looks.

"Yes. Five hours, to be exact." Oliver told us, sounding impatient.

"Let's not forget the two hours of him telling us how to stand." Skylar added, equally annoyed. Mr. Davenport gave her a peeved look.

"Obviously we needed three hours, because you're still not doing it right." He retorted, adjusting where she was facing.

"It's great to see you." Chase told them before glancing at Mr. Davenport. "What are they doing here?"

"Mighty Med hospital was destroyed." Dani told us, her voice grave and her face solemn. We all looked at her, shocked and confused.

"What?" Bree demanded. Kaz sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hit a few buttons, then held it out for us to see.

It was a devastating picture, not a sight that was easy for us to see, and it must have been so much worse for them. It showed the remains of what appeared to be a massive building, most of it in ruins. The remaining, half-destroyed walls were coated in soot and ash, with flashes of red in the background to show that fires had still been burning when the photo was taken. The sky was pitch black, but without the stars or moon in sight, almost as if the smoke from the tragedy was blocking them out completely. I swallowed a lump in my throat, recognizing a large, red letter M on what was left of the far wall, the top right corner of the letter broken off completely.

"How…who?" I demanded, turning to the young doctors.

"We don't know." Kaz replied. He sighed. "We lost a lot of superheroes that we care about. We're not going to stop until we find whoever's responsible."

"They wanted to use my technology to track the criminals, but I had a better idea." Mr. Davenport told us. "To create one all powerful team combining technology, bionic heroes, and superheroes."

"Well, where are the superheroes?" Bree questioned.

"You're looking at them." Oliver told us, grinning. Skylar waved her hand at him, Kaz, and Dani. Chase, Bree, and I exchanged looks.

"You?" I questioned, trying not to sound skeptical. Kaz nodded.

"Oh yeah. Oliver, Dee, and I have superpowers now." He told us. Chase scoffed.

"What? Did you fall into a vat of radioactive waste?" He chuckled. "Wait, no, don't tell me! Bitten by a supernatural spider!"

"No." Oliver rolled his eyes. "While we were trying to stop my mother, also known as the supervillain Mr. Terror, from becoming the most powerful being on the planet, we made indirect contact with the Arcturion space rock, which gave us a variety of superhuman abilities."

I turned to Chase. "I love the rational explanations people come up with these days." I commented. Space rock? Seriously?

"A magic space rock?" Chase mocked them. "And was that delivered by a bunch of little green men?"

Skylar stepped up to him. "You do know that I'm from another planet, right?" She questioned, her tone challenging him to keep going with the jokes.

"I…do now." He walked back over to me. I laughed lightly.

"You're going to have to excuse Chase. If he can't explain it with science, it doesn't exist." I told them apologetically.

"C'mon, Calla." Chase rolled his eyes. "Do you really expect me to believe that these three have-"

Kaz cut him off, raising his fist to the air just for it to spontaneously combust. He aimed the flaming ligament at the fireplace in the living room and shot a ball of fire at it, his aim perfect. "But that-the human body can't-" Unsurprisingly, Chase was having difficulty processing what he'd just seen. He looked at Kaz warily. "I'm watching you, Fire-Boy."

"So, can you two shoot fire too?" Bree questioned, looking over at Dani and Oliver. They both shook their heads.

"No. Kaz has fire and heat powers, I've got water and ice, and Dani's got electricity and lightning." Oliver explained. "But, all three of us can do this."

Without any warning, the scrawny boy spun around and raced to the edge of the terrace, leaping over the barrier and into the open sky. "Oliver!" Bree screamed in surprise, racing to the edge along with Chase, Mr. Davenport, and I.

"I can't see him." I muttered, leaning as far over the edge as I dared, trying to catch a glimpse of him. What was he thinking, jumping off the building like that?

"Well, it was a good team while it lasted." Chase commented to Mr. Davenport. I sent him a glare – not cool, honey – but before I could say anything, Oliver came flying past us, through the air and in the direction of the top of the building. We all stared in amazement.

"He can fly?" I demanded, watching him soar. That was awesome!

"He's pretty good." Bree complimented.

"Wait for it." Skylar advised. Oliver came flying back down towards us, and I immediately realized the problem – he was going far too fast, and was quickly losing control. My theory was confirmed when he barreled straight into Chase, both of them hitting the ground hard.

"Sorry." Oliver apologized, rolling off of my boyfriend. "Still working on the landings."

"I can tell." Chase groaned, pulling himself to his feet. Bree and I exchanged looks. Just what had we gotten ourselves into?

 **Kaz's POV**

I had to admit, this penthouse was dope. Even if Davenport was sticking seven of us under one roof together, I figured it would still be pretty freaking awesome given how much space there was.

"Hey, I got a question." While Davenport was on the second floor, preparing the bedrooms, the rest of us were hanging out in the living room, hanging out. Bree and Skylar was in the kitchen, chatting and trying to find something to eat, while Calla wad taken up residence on the couch, tucking her knees up to her stomach as she got comfortable. Chase was in the armchair, while Dani was on the empty end of the four-seater couch. I sat down next to her, and Oliver sat on the arm of the chair, next to his sister. "How did you guys manage to escape Mighty Med before it was destroyed?"

I glanced over at Oliver and Dani. I wasn't sure how much detail the twins wanted to go into about that day, especially the parts with Mort, so I kinda let them handle it. "We were off trying to capture our mother." Dani explained. She glanced at Oliver. "We got a lead that morning about one of her henchmen. But apparently, she leaked the lead on purpose though – somehow she must have gotten wind of the attack ahead of time."

"If it weren't for her, we would have been killed." Oliver agreed. Dani looked at him.

"Doesn't mean she's forgiven. And as soon as we deal with whoever attacked Mighty Med, we're going back after her." She commented coldly.

"Still, silver-lining." Oliver insisted. Bree frowned at him.

"You're an odd little man." She commented.

"Not the first time I've heard that." Oliver admitted.

"Usually from me." Skylar added just as Davenport came jogging down the stairs.

"Okay, sleeping quarters are all set. Boys, first door on the left. Girls first door on the right. Calla and Chase, yours is the second door on the right, and the guy who made it all possible," He jerked his thumbs at himself, "will be in the giant room at the far left. Stay out of my pool."

"Wait, why do they get their own room?" Dani protested.

"Because he likes us best." Calla reasoned. Dani gave her a look. "Also, four girls in one bedroom? The room's big, but that would be three beds, and a capsule."

"And at least this way, I can have Chase's capsule in the same room he's sleeping in most nights." Davenport added. He gave his son a look. "Don't think I don't know about you sneaking our of the mentor's quarters almost every night last year."

"Sorry?" Chase glanced at Calla, who flushed with embarrassment. Davenport grimaced in disgust.

"Just…be responsible." He made it clear it was the last time he wanted to discuss the matter.

"Well, I don't care that they get their own room. I'm just glad I finally get to share my room with girls instead of my brothers!" Bree commented, putting her arm around Skylar's shoulder and patting Dani's shoulder with her spare hand.

"Me too." Skylar agreed. "But just a heads up – I'm from another planet, so sometimes I spit acid in my sleep."

"Well that is still an upgrade compared to what comes out of my brothers." Bree insisted.

"It is." Calla agreed. I looked at Davenport.

"Hey, Mr. Davenport, when are we going to start searching for those guys who attacked our friends?" I questioned. We'd waited long enough to stop them. "Where's all that technology you promised us?"

"I am so glad you asked. Hyper-lift, open!" Davenport called. To our surprise, the fireplace split in two, the wall panels sliding apart to reveal a hidden elevator behind them. "IT'S A VOICE-ACTIVATED SECRET PASSAGE!"

"That is so awesome!" I grinned. "And it seems like such a fire-hazard!"

"I used the hydraloop technology to create an elevator that will take you from the penthouse to below the earth's surface instantly!" Davenport exclaimed proudly. I had no idea what a hydraloop was, but he seemed excited about it, so I didn't question it. "Step inside, and let me show you."

We all stepped inside the elevator. "Oh, wait." Oliver said suddenly. "I should probably tell you guys – I tend to get sick on any ride that has a big-DROP!"

He screamed the last words as we were sent plummeting to the bottom of the shaft. The landing was surprisingly gentle, considering the speed we were going at, but my best friend looked positively green.

"Whoa." I grinned as we stepped into the underground room. It was a large, black, octagonal room. Each one of the walls were black with lines of bright blue lights making a tic-tac-toe like pattern. All of the walls, except for this one and the one opposite of us, had large doorway-like shapes, but were blocked by large rock walls. In the center of the room, there was a circular high-tech table, with long high-tech desks on either side of it.

"And just like that, we're back in the basement." Bree commented, exchanging a smirk with Chase. While Dani, Oliver, Skylar, and I were all in awe of the technology around us, Calla and the two bionic siblings seemed perfectly at home. Hell, maybe this was exactly like wherever they grew up.

"This is your team's central nervous system." Davenport explained. "This is where you'll train, plan missions," I went to touch a green button on the circular table, or consol as I now realized it was, but he grabbed my hand before I could, "Learn what things do before you touch them."

"This is amazing." Skylar commented. Davenport nodded.

"Oh, and before I forget, MISS will be running mission command for you, since the people I usually have do it are still at the Academy." He added.

"Who's MISS?" Dani questioned.

" _That would be me, Miss Danica."_ A disembodied, female voice replied. Dani froze, and began looking around.

"Okay, first of all, it's Dani, not Danica." She corrected before staring at Calla and Chase. "And who said that?"

" _Apologies, Miss Dani. I am MISS. I am the artificial intelligence system that runs the penthouse and mission control. I am here to aid all of you with whatever you need."_ The disembodied voice told her soothingly. _"I was created by Miss Calla last year."_

Oliver looked at Calla. "You have seen Age of Ultron, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. MISS is more like Friday than Ultron or Jarvis. There are parameters in place to keep her from going rogue and killing anyone."

Suddenly, Davenport's phone began to ring. "Excuse me. I have a very important Daven-call to take." He excused himself, heading for the elevator.

"Why didn't he just take it down here?" Bree questioned.

"Probably because the signal sucks." Dani replied, holding her phone up with a frown. "I'm barely getting two bars."

"Alright, let's head out and start searching for the lowlifes who destroyed Mighty Med." I declared. It had already been two weeks since those lowlifes got away, and we needed to find them.

"But, we don't even know where to start." Oliver reminded me.

"We have to look somewhere. We'll go city by city, starting here." I decided. I looked at the Calla, Chase, and Bree. "You guys take uptown, we'll take downtown."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't just go looking for people randomly." Chase stopped us. "We have to devise a plan fire."

I frowned. Was he deaf or something. "We just did. Uptown, downtown…I don't really know any other parts of town, so plan commenced."

"Well, why don't we do this: we try and figure out who's responsible before we go blindly looking for bad guys?" Calla suggested. "Even if we found a bad guy while looking, we could easily end up getting the wrong guy. If we figure out who's really responsible first, then we can figure out their weaknesses, prepare a strategy, and take them out easier."

"That's smart." Skylar agreed, nodding.

"So, where do we start?" Dani questioned. Chase walked over to one of the desks.

"Well, first we'd need to know who the target was. Was it all of Mighty Med, or one of the heroes inside?" He looked at us. "How many heroes were inside?"

"All of them." Dani replied grimly. "It was the 400th anniversary. There was a party."

"All of them?" Calla nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, what about the villains? Any recent escapees from wherever you keep your villains? There was a breakout from the USPEI a couple of weeks ago, but the rest of the bionic heroes at the Academy are reigning them in, and none of them would be powerful enough to do something like this."

"No, no break outs." Oliver replied.

"Then let's get a list of the villains we know are on the lamb. Then, we can decide which ones could be capable of doing that much damage, and work our way out from there." Bree decided. I nodded in agreement, once again thinking that Skylar's idea of calling Davenport was a good one. Calla, Chase, and Bree had been fighting bad guys for years – they knew how to handle something like this better than we ever could.

"Here. My Mighty Med account will have access to the files." Dani walked over to the desk, accessed the top secret site, and entered her password before letting Chase take over again.

"Okay, the cyber desk is compiling a database of the villains." Chase announced before looking at us. "In the meantime, we still need to know more about you guys."

"Well, I'm 5'10, I'm a hearty mix of Irish and German, and I've been known to lie about my height." I told him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dani crack a smile, amused.

"I think we meant what other powers do you have?" Calla corrected.

"Well, Ollie and I have twin telepathy." Dani supplied.

"Oh, like K-Dog and Rio." Calla smiled.

"Sure." Dani nodded. "I have no idea who those people are, but sure."

"And I have super strength." Oliver added. Bree scoffed.

"You?" She questioned, not believing him at all.

"Yes, me." Oliver retorted, sounding offended. "Why does everyone act so surprised when I say that?"

"Because we can see your ribcage through your shirt." Skylar reasoned.

" _I hate to interrupt you, Miss Skylar, but Mr. Davenport is requesting everyone's presence on the main floor. Immediately."_ MISS announced.

"Let's go see what the old man wants." I sighed.

 **Calla's POV**

"About time." Mr. Davenport commented when we reached the top floor. He was standing near the fireplace/elevator, holding that creepy picture of him surrounded by his money. "Some strange is going on."

"Whoa, that is strange!" Skylar agreed, pointing at the painting. I grinned; oh, she was going to fit right in around here.

"Not that. Outside." Mr. Davenport nodded towards the windows. "Something flew by the window."

"I know something that's gonna fly out the window." Bree commented, taking the picture from him and heading towards the verenda.

"I'm serious." Mr. Davenport insisted. "There is something out there."

Confused, we all stopped, looking out the window. For a moment, there was nothing…then, I heard a strange whirring sound. "Get down!" Chase shouted. Skylar and I both ducked down, behind the kitchen counter, with our hands over our heads to protect ourselves as the massive glass windows shattered, their shards flying inwards. Kaz and Chase both leapt over the couch in their attempt to escape the glass, while Oliver, Dani, Bree, and Mr. Davenport, the farthest from the windows, darted backwards several steps, out of harm's way.

"Everyone okay?" I asked when the glass stopped falling. There was a series of affirmatives as we began to check out the wreckage.

"Oh, man! My salsa!" Kaz complained, holding up the bowl of salsa he'd grabbed earlier. There were glass shards dipped in the red sauce.

"Yes, because that's the worst of the damage." Mr. Davenport commented sarcastically before looking back at the broken windows.

"Hey, check it out." Dani commented, walking around the couch. "There's something on the floor."

"Yeah, about $36,000 worth of glass." Mr. Davenport commented.

"No, it's some sort of gift box." Dani replied, lifting a small, black box of the ground. It was ordinary in appearance, with a small yellow tag on the top. She went to open it, but thankfully, Kaz stopped.

"Dee, stop!" He told her, placing his hand over the box. "What are you doing? You gotta open the card first."

"Don't open anything." Chase told them, snatching the box away from Dani. "It could be rigged to blow this place apart. I'll use my bionic eye to scan it." He raised two fingers to his temple, then focused his gaze on the box. "It's a flash drive."

"We can download its contents onto MISS' hard drive. She'll check for any form of malware, then show us its contents in Mission Command." I decided, taking the box from Chase.

"Who would blast our penthouse just to toss a flash drive through the window?" Bree asked, frowning.

"That's why you gotta open the card first." Kaz insisted.

 **Kaz's POV**

"It's a video message." Calla announced from the behind the cyber desk. "MISS, play it up on the big screen."

" _Right away, Miss Calla."_ MISS agreed. A TV screen slid down from the ceiling above one of the rock walls. An image appeared on it, featuring two guys standing in what I think was an alleyway, or maybe a subway tunnel. The walls were chalk full of colorful graffiti, with a small area with barred doors that looked like a tiny prison cell. It was impossible to identify the two guys on the screen – both were wearing dark, nondescript clothing and black masks that covered their entire faces.

" _Destroying your little hospital was just the beginning."_ One of the guys announced. His voice seemed wrong almost, like they were using voice disguisers. _"We're on the hunt for every superhero that remains, and soon, they will all be extinct."_

" _And once you've watched us eliminate them, we're coming for you, Oliver, Dani, Kaz, and Skylar."_ I gulped nervously. These guys had targeted us specifically, but why? _"And anyone else dumb enough to protect you."_

"Who was that?" Oliver demanded once the video ended. He looked at me. "And don't say check the card first."

"Whoever it was, it's obvious they've been watching us." Chase commented. Davenport nodded.

"I'm going to go activate the penthouse security perimeter, and get those windows replaced." He decided, walking into the hydrolift. I sighed irritably.

"See?" I looked at Chase. "This is exactly why I wanted to go out and find them first!"

"As soon as we finalize a plan-" He began, but I cut him off.

"Forget your plan!" I snapped. All they did was plan. What we needed was action. We couldn't just sit on our asses and wait for the bad guys to destroy us! "If we don't stop them, they're going to take out every last superhero! Including us!"

They'd already killed over a hundred heroes. There weren't many of us left, and I couldn't let those murders take away anyone else we cared about.

"Kaz," Calla said calmly, placing her hand on Chase's when he looked like he was going to snap back. "They're going to take us out a lot faster if we go into this thing unprepared. We want to find them too, but we have to be smart about this."

"She's right, Kaz." Bree agreed. "We have no idea what we're up against. We have to be careful."

"Skylar," I turned the former superhero. "Back me up on this."

"We'll get them." She promised me. "It's just going to take some time."

"Dani?" She was always up for doing something without a plan, and I'd be lying if I said she hadn't been preparing for a fight since the hospital was destroyed.

"I'm sorry. I'm with them." She told me, biting her lip.

"Oliver?" Best friends had each other's backs, always, right? But to my surprise, he shook his head. "Oh, come on! Not you too!" I turned to all of my friends. "Guys, we have to do this! For Mighty Med." The 'For Horace, Alivia, and Jaime' part went unspoken, but I knew they were thinking it too.

"I know." Oliver agreed. "I just…I think we should play it safe."

"Safe?" I echoed. Did he not remember what those guys did to Mighty Med? To all the more experienced heroes? How could he suggest that not doing anyway was the way to go? How could he not see the danger we were in? "None of us are safe with those two on the loose!"

"Kaz," Bree tried to intervene, but I didn't let her.

"You know, I never thought being part of an Elite Force would mean sitting around and doing nothing!" I spat before storming off. Fine, whatever. If they weren't going to do anything about this, I would.

 **Calla's POV**

"I thought you and Chase would be enjoying your new room." I looked up from my book to see Bree standing over me, two steaming cups in her hands.

"Nah. He has to sleep in the capsule every two or three nights, remember? Don't want to risk a glitch." I replied, closing the book and placing it on the side table. "Beside, I couldn't really sleep."

"The room not up to your standards?" She teased as she handed me one of the cups of hot cocoa and sat down on one of the grey stools next to me. I laughed lightly.

"It's perfect, actually." I replied. It really was; it was large and stylish, with a comfortable queen-sized bed for Chase and I too share and a fireplace on one way with a love seat in front of it. There was a desk in the corner of the room, and Chase's capsule in the other, with the wall opposite of both of them being made completely out of glass, giving us the most beautiful view of the city. And on the wall, there were at least a dozen photos, all from our time in Mission Creek with our friends and families. "And yours? What's it like sharing with Dani and the alien girl?"

"Surprisingly normal. Two bed, a capsule, and a TV. The couch in there is pretty comfy too." Bree replied. She looked at me, grinning. "And, Mr. Davenport put curtains on my capsule, for extra privacy."

"Nice." I grinned back. I looked past her to see Dani wandering down the stairs. "Want to join us?"

"Uh, sure." The short haired girl agreed, looking surprised to see us up. I glanced at the clock as Dani sat down on the couch opposite of us. Dang, past midnight already. "So, Skylar's snoring woke you too?"

"Yep." Bree nodded. I looked at her.

"You're capsule is soundproof." I told her. She nodded.

"I know." She agreed.

"Damn." I sipped at my hot cocoa. "As for me, I've just…been thinking." I looked at Bree. "Honestly, I'm terrified that Adam's already gone and destroyed the entire Academy."

"Nah, I just talked to Jaden. They're still standing." She assured me. "He says 'hey', by the way."

"Jaden? That's your boyfriend, right?" Dani asked. Bree nodded.

"Yeah. Mr. Davenport needed him to stay back in California while we came here to deal with what happened to Mighty Med." Bree explained. She frowned. "By the way, whose idea was it to call him for help? I'm just curious."

"Skylar." Dani replied. "She thought, since the guys saved Chase's life, that he might lend us some tech. We didn't expect him to make a team out of it. Thanks, by the way, for coming."

"We're all in this together now." I told him. I hesitated before continuing. "I have to ask. When we met up at Comic Con, there were two other girls with you. Jaime and Alivia."

Dani closed her eyes for a moment before continuing, her voice rough. "Spark and Geminus. Um…Jaime's definitely gone. We found her at Mighty Med. Liv…she wasn't still there when we got there, but…Ollie found her mask, covered in blood, and she was already injured before the attack…" She sighed. "We don't know, but the chances of her surviving…they're low."

"I'm so sorry." Bree told her, apologetically. Dani nodded, biting her lip. I cleared my throat, trying to think of a different topic to change the conversation to. I'd spoken to Skylar before everyone went off to bed, and had asked her about not just Mighty Med, but also what happened with that Quimby Fletcher situation, and judging by what she told me, Dani and the rest of them had been through a very difficult month.

"So, what do you guys think of the penthouse so far?" I asked, smiling cheerfully, hoping to get her mind off the bad stuff. Before she could answer, Mr. Davenport came walking down the stairs.

"Hey, what are all of you still doing up?" He asked.

"Skylar snores." "Hoping that Adam hasn't killed anyone yet." We all replied. He looked at me.

"He won't kill anyone." He told me sternly.

"You left him in charge. There's no saying what he will or won't do." Bree pointed out.

"Relax. He may think he's in charge, but Rio's got a good handle on the situation." He assured us. Suddenly, Oliver came running down the stairs.

"Mr. Davenport!" He exclaimed. "I can't find Kaz. I thought he was in his bed snoring, but it turned out to be Skylar down the hall."

"Damn it, Kaz." Dani muttered, standing up.

"I bet he went off to find those guys on his own." I decided.

"I'll use my super speed to bring him back." Bree offered. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"Oliver, go wake Chase and Skylar." The younger boy nodded and ran back up the stairs. Mr. Davenport looked at Bree. "If you're not back with Kaz in two minutes, I'm going to have them track you on your GPS locator."

Bree laughed. "Please. With my upgraded speed, I can search the entire city in less than 30 seconds."

"Oh, I'm so fast!" Mr. Davenport mocked her. "Well, then, go!"

"Okay!" Bree rolled her eyes before speeding off to find Kaz.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Okay, if I can find the costume shop that sold those guys their masks, maybe I can track them down." I muttered to myself, walking down an empty alley. Surprisingly, it hadn't been that hard to break out of the penthouse – all I needed was an open window. I pulled out my phone and quickly checked how many costume shops there were in the city. I figured, it's a big city, so there's probably gonna be maybe four or five different ones. But when I saw the real number, it shocked me. "Eighty-six costume shops in one city? What are you people trying to hide?"

I turned to head in the direction of the first costume store, when suddenly, a black cloud descended from the sky. It flew down in front of me, then morphed into a human being. Specifically, one of the human beings from the video. "Ah!" I let out a surprised shout as another cloud did the same. I gulped nervously, but forced an easy-going smile on to my face. "I mean, aha! I found you!"

The two guys looked at each other, then pulled of their masks, revealing their faces. I recognized the black haired guys instantly "Wait, you're Roman and Riker. You're dad is the superhero Rodissius." Why would they have attacked Mighty Med?

"Was a superhero." Roman, the taller, buffer of the two corrected. "Until you got your hands on him at Mighty Med."

"What are you talking about? We saved his life." I frowned, confused.

"You took away his powers." Riker reminded me, glaring.

"We had no choice. Sacrificing his powers was the only way to save his life." I retorted, defending our decision.

"You took away the only thing that made him special, and forced him to live his life as a Normo." Roman growled. "That's a punishment far worse than death."

"Well, that's a warped way of looking at things, but alright."

"Our father may not have the power to take revenge, but we do." Roman continued.

Suddenly, Bree appeared beside me, seemingly out of nowhere. "There you are!" She exclaimed, annoyed, before she noticed Roman and Riker. "Hello." She smiled at them.

"They're the guys who destroyed Mighty Med." I informed her.

"Oh, c'mon!" She exclaimed. "Why are the bad ones always so cute?"

"Okay, Bree, you can go." I turned around to face her. "I got this."

"You sure?" She looked behind me. I turned to see that Roman and Riker had shapeshifted into a massive black cloud. Damn shapeshifters. Always hated them.

"You know, on second thought, Bree, would you mind sticking around?" I asked, chuckling nervously.

"Now you see why it's a bad idea to run off without a plan?" She scolded.

"In hindsight, probably not my best decision." I admitted.

"Hey!" I looked over my shoulder to see Oliver, Dani, Skylar, Calla, and Chase run up behind us. "What is that thing?"

"Meet the guys who destroyed Mighty Med." I told them. "They're shapeshifters."

"Oh, okay." Chase nodded before frowning at me. "What the heck are shapeshifters?"

"They can morph into anything." Dani supplied, eyes wide as she stared at the cloud. "A person, a thing, and apparently, a deadly black cloud."

"Get down!" Skylar shouted. We all ducked as the cloud shot at us, barely missing our heads. I stood up first and shot a burst of flames in Roman and Riker's direction, making the cloud back off for the time being.

"Chase, no would be a great time for one of your plans." I looked at the genius. He stared at me incredulously.

"Oh, now you want a plan? If you had followed my plan in the first place, we wouldn't even be in this mess!" He snapped, ticked off.

"I didn't ask you guys to show up!" I retorted.

"I didn't want to show up!" Chase snapped back. "Calla made me."

"Uh, guys?" Calla interrupted us. "Where'd they go?"

I looked up, and to my surprise, the cloud was gone. "I can still hear them." Skylar murmured. Calla subtly pulled a high-tech blaster out of her back pocket and held it tightly between her hands. We all backed up slowly, until we were circling the alley while simultaneously covering each other's backs.

"Uh, guys?" Chase said after a long moment. He was staring upwards at the sky. I followed his gaze, only to spot the massive, dangerous black cloud. None of us had a chance to react before it crashed down on us, the force of the impact sending us all flying in different directions.

I felt myself flying through the air, involuntarily, before crashing into something hard and heavy. And then, everything went black.

 **Calla's POV**

"Ah." I hissed as I slowly sat up. Those shapeshifters had thrown all of us across the alley, and I was pretty sure I hit my head on the corner of a dumpster. Judging by the way everyone seemed to be just moving now, I figured we'd all been knocked unconscious.

"Is everybody okay?" Chase asked, making his way over to me. He held out his hand and helped me up.

"Think so." Kaz commented, rubbing his head as he himself climbed to his feet.

"Did we win?" Dani asked hopefully.

"Wait" Oliver paused, looking around in confusion. "Where's Skylar?"

Sure enough, the alien girl was nowhere to be seen. "Skylar!" Bree called, a hint of worry in her tone. Oliver looked around worriedly, then looked at us.

"They took her." He said simply.

 **Xxx**

"I can not believe you let them take Skylar!" Mr. Davenport shouted, glaring at us. Well, actually, he was looking primarily at Chase. "All because you couldn't work together at a team."

"It's not my fault." Chase retorted, jerking his head at Kaz. "He's the one who took off on his own."

"I don't care." Mr. Davenport told him sternly. "You're their leader. It's your responsibility to look out for them."

"No, Chase is right." Kaz interrupted him before he could continue. We all looked at him in surprise. "I let my emotions get the best of me." He looked at Chase. "From now on, we work together instead of against each other."

"Agreed." Chase nodded and the boys fist-bumped, sealing the deal.

"Good." Mr. Davenport still looked annoyed though. "Now, how do we find Skylar?"

"Without a way to track her, it's almost impossible." Chase sighed.

"Almost being the key word." Dani added, looking at him expectantly. "That means there is a way."

"They could have taken her anywhere." Chase commented, frowning.

"Well, whatever we do, we have to move fast." Bree looked at us. "Without her powers, she doesn't stand a chance against those guys."

"Not on her own, at least." I agreed, moving over to the cyber desk. "Let's check the video again. Maybe we missed something."

"Don't bother." Chase told me. I ignored him, bringing the video up on the screen. "I scoured every frame of that video. There's nothing there that can help us."

"Not even that faded number on the sign behind them?" Oliver pointed out, looking at the screen. I frowned, then used the cyber desk to zoom in on the number. Chase scoffed, obviously having missed the sign the first time.

"Oh, come on!" He exclaimed after a moment. "Do you have some mystical super power that allows you to see that?"

"Yeah, it's called eyesight." Oliver replied, shaking his head at my boyfriend.

"There's more to the number, but it's covered in dirt." I muttered, unable to properly read the number. I glanced at Chase. "Baby, you mind?"

"I can do a spectral isolation scan to contrast the elements." He explained to the others. "It'll let us see what's underneath the dirt."

He raised his fingers to his temple and scanned the image. "It's the subway station at 128th street."

Mr. Davenport frowned. "There is no subway station at 128th street. I mean, there was one 40 years ago when I was…" He suddenly looked self-conscious, "…ten years from being born. But the city abandoned it after a really bad flood."

"Wait. Shape shifters natural dwell in dark, cavernous spaces." Kaz realized. He looked at Oliver. "That must be where they're keeping Skylar."

"Let's go." Dani decided. Chase nodded in agreement.

"I'll send the directions to your chip." Mr. Davenport told him. "You can still get there through an old underground tunnel. I used to play there 40 years ago when I was-You know, I'll just send you the directions."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Alright, Mr. Davenport's directions lead this way." Chase whispered, his tone purposely lowered as we neared Roman and Riker's lair. The six of us snuck along, ready to attack the shapeshifters on sight.

"You won't get away with this." I heard Oliver let out an audibly sigh of relief at the sound of Skylar's voice. "My team will find me."

"I'm sure they will." Roman replied, his tone cocky. "But it'll be too late for you. By the time they get here, we'll be on to our next superhero. And the next, and the next, until all of you are destroyed."

"Not gonna happen." Oliver muttered before bursting out of our hiding spot. We followed him into the station, where we confronted Roman and Riker. Both of the shapeshifters stood in front of that cell from the video, Skylar trapped inside. She beamed, gripping to the bars, when she saw us.

"Told you." She smirked smugly at Roman.

"Look who it is." He smirked as well.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your lives." Riker told us.

"Let's do this, brother." Roman held out his hand to his siblings. Recognizing this as their way of shapeshifting together, I looked back at Chase, awaiting his plan.

"Oliver, use your strength to free Skylar." Chase ordered. Oliver didn't need to be told twice, as he was already climbing onto the platform in his rush to be his crush's hero. He wasted no time, pulling the entire rack of bars out of their hinges with ease. She stepped out, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Stop looking so surprised!" He exclaimed, hurt by the shock on her face.

"Oh, great. They're doing their dust bunny thing again." I announced, drawing their attention back to the giant cloud in front of us.

"I got this." Dani announced. She stepped in front of us and raised her hands, sending sparks and strings of electricity outwards. However, the moment she started using her powers, the cloud raced towards us, ducking past her and circling us. It turned into a ring of smoke, gaseous enough to float through the air and be impossible to fight, but solid enough to beginning pushing at us, forcing us all into the center of the quickly moving ring.

"They're creating a ring of centrifugal force around us!" Chase shouted as the ring began to move faster and began to grow tighter. Already, it was almost impossible to move, with all of us being squeezed together painfully.

"Guys, if we don't do something fast, the force will crush us." Bree gasped out.

"Not gonna lie." Oliver smiled as he was pushed up against Skylar. He smiled at her. "Kind of okay with it."

She rolled her eyes. "Wait." Chase said suddenly. "If shape shifters change their form by manipulating their molecular structures-"

"Then there has to be a way to freeze the molecules and stop the swarm!" I exclaimed, realizing what he was getting to. "Oliver, you have ice powers! Use your cryoblast!"

"Right!" Oliver agreed. He raised his hand as best as he could, and it began emitting a cold, blue light. The ring began to grow lighter, black turning to dark grey, turning to lighter grey.

"Keep going!" Calla encouraged. Oliver continued for another couple of moments, until the ring froze completely, Roman and Riker's black cloud trapped inside. It clattered to the ground, too thick to shattered.

"It worked." Dani commented, surprised as she stepped over the ring. She looked at Chase and I. "Nice plan, guys."

"Always the tone of surprise." I teased her, ducking forward for a kiss. She smiled against my lips, her soft pink ones moving against mine eagerly.

"Good job, guys." Bree agreed as I pulled away. I nodded, then turned to Chase.

"Dude, that was a great idea to mess with the molecular structures." I complimented him.

"It was your idea to freeze the molecules." Chase offered in return.

"Yeah, but you're the one-" I was cut off by Dani, midsentence.

"Calla, I think you and I might have some competition." She commented, smirking at Chase and I. Calla nodded.

"It seems we might." She agreed jokingly.

"Guys, get together." Bree urged us, pulling out her phone. "Our first victory selfie!"

Taking the photo wasn't very easy with all seven of us. There were just too many of us, Bree and Dani were hogging the screen, and someone – Calla – was too short to be anywhere but the front of the group. But eventually, we got it done.

"Sweet. First mission completed!" I grinned.

"Uh, not quite." I turned to look at Dani, but she was staring at the iced ring. "Look."

At first, I didn't know what she was talking about, but then, with a sickening click in my head, I realized exactly what the problem was: there was a crack in the ring, and the cloud inside it had disappeared. Roman and Riker had escaped.

"Mr. Davenport's not going to be happy about this." Calla commented, frowning at the ice ring.

And she was right.

Upon returning to the penthouse, and explaining what had happened, Davenport was furious.

"They got away?" He demanded. Everyone else was sitting on the couch or one of the various seats while I searched for a bottle of water in the kitchen.

"Yes, but this time, it was because we were too good of a team." Chase replied, grinning.

"Oh, and we have a very cute selfie that captured the exact moment they escape." Bree added, pulling out her phone and showing him the picture. Oliver looked over her shoulder, then nodded, smiling.

"That is a good one." He agreed. "You can't even see my ribs."

Davenport just looked at us, clearly wondering whether or not it would have been better to just scrap the entire Elite Force idea, rather than have the seven of us form it.

"Look, we've got to warn the rest of the superheroes and let them know they're being hunted." I reminded the others. We couldn't forget our mission.

"The good news is, Roman and Riker don't even know where they are, so we should be able to alert them first." Skylar added. Dani frowned at her.

"How? We don't even know where the survivors are, or how many." She reminded her. Skylar nodded.

"I know, but I have an idea about that." When she didn't elaborate, I figured she would let us know in the morning, or when it was time.

"Good, but it's still going to take some time." Chase told us. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Let's get some sleep." Calla suggested. "It sounds like we're going to need it."

I followed the others up the stairs, kissed Dani goodnight, then watched as everyone retired to their rooms.

This team wasn't perfect – I think that was obvious, given how our first day as a team went – but we were a team. And together, I really thought that we could stop Roman and Riker, and avenge everyone we lost in Mighty Med. If we didn't drive each other crazy first.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, so what did you guys think of the first chapter? Was it good, bad? Somewhere in between? You guys are the reason I write these stories, so any input is welcome, compliment or criticism. Anyway, here's the update schedule for the next few weeks:**

 **January 16** **th** **– Holding Out for a Hero**

 **January 23** **rd** **– Power Play**

 **January 30** **th** **– The Superhero Code**

 **Oh! And before I forget, if you guys have any ideas for original chapters, or prompts, or anything of the kind, please let me know. I've got a few slots open for original chapters, and knowing what you guys want to see will really help me in figuring out what to do for future chapters! Anyway, until next time, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	2. Holding Out For a Hero

**Kihonne: Oh my God! I did not expect to have such a turn out for my first chapter. 14 reviews on the first chapter? You guys are amazing! Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter just as much, but before we get onto that, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Valpjo: I'm glad you're excited; I am too! LOL, I'm really happy to hear from a returning reader! I do suggest going back to re-read both the stories, or at least the last couple of chapters of each one, just to get a refresher of where each of the characters are, and what's going on with them.**

 **Layla347: Thanks!**

 **Darth Becky 726: I'm so glad you liked it! Good job with the pairing names – they seem to be the most popular ones for the couples. I hope you like this chapter just as much. Oh, and if I post them on time, the chapters will always be posted on a Monday – I don't have classes on Mondays, so posting a chapter at the end of a 3-day weekend makes sense. Plus, Mondays suck, so I might as well make them a little brighter.**

 **LabGirl2001: Honestly, I wasn't expecting to post it early, but then I got this really, really sweet PM from a reader, telling me about how excited she was, and how she couldn't wait until Monday, so I thought I'd surprise her, and all of you, early. Honestly, I have no idea which brother is older – the show has called Davenport older in one episode, and Douglas older in the other – so I went with Douglas. Oh, I'm curious which plot point you have figured out – there are a few possibilities, and I wonder which one you're at. And thank you for the glitch idea! I wish I'd thought of that – you're totally right about there not being any glitches in this series. I'm definitely going to use that. As for the holiday idea, that will honestly depend on whether or not an important holiday matches up with the story – the only big ones that I can think of that I'm guaranteed to hit are Valentines Day and April Fools day, but I've already got plans for those days…I would love to do a Halloween or Christmas chapter, but right now, I'm expecting to only make it until the end of August. Maybe if I did a third season…;)**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked it. Yes, I will avenge the series. I can promise everyone 2 seasons, and I'm currently drawing out plans for a third one, but that will have to depend on whether or not I can flesh out a good villain (already in the works) along with other plot points and subplots for the season…But at least, you'll get twice the number of chapters. Yes, poor Jaime is gone from us, and Liv…well, no comment. That's an interesting idea you have, and I'm thinking I might use it, but some details might be changed. As for powers, you can send me them if you want, but there's no guarantee that I'll use them. I have ideas for powers for all the characters I need them for, but if you think you've got a cool idea, I might use those instead. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Arkham Inmate A143: I'm glad you liked it. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and appreciated the early update. I really hope you enjoy this series, and I hope you like the rest of it just as much.**

 **Taa: Perhaps. No promises I'll use the ideas, but I might. May I just ask though – why the fascination in cousins? I noticed you suggested them a few times, and I'm curious as to your train of thoughts – if I do involve the cousins in a chapter, it might help me figure out what I should do with them, if you had any specific thoughts or ideas concerning them.**

 **Dream lighting: I'm glad you liked it. It would be cool if she got powers. I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **SzymonS: I'm so glad you liked it! You're right – we don't know what Alivia wanted from Dani, or why it made her so upset, but you'll find out, eventually. That's going to be a very interesting plot, but I'm saving it for a little later. As for Alivia, no body just means that there's no guarantee that she's alive or dead. Right now, no one knows. Right now. As for your idea, it's brilliant. No, seriously, thanks. It might not end up being a single chapter idea though, but maybe a full arc. Thanks! Now, I can't say what's going on with Bridget, but you're on the right track. Now, I'm not saying Marcus will be involved with the story, so don't be dead-set on his return. There are other characters that could be used. I totally respect your opinion about The Facility and Maybank's Return, though may I ask what you didn't like? When I'm done with this story, I'm thinking of going back and re-doing the entire series, so any advice, even constructive criticism, would be very helpful. I do intend to go back to the series eventually – I'm just stuck with what to do next, and haven't found much inspiration for the story. My hope is that when I rewrite it, I'll be able to get the creative juices flowing again. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Oh, sweet! Now we can PM each other! Feel free to drop me a message whenever. I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much. I wanted to make an impression with the chapter, seeing as it was the first, and clearly, I've impressed people. I agree with you 100% about the characters. Well, maybe 99%, because I didn't see too much of a change in Bree, except that she was a little more mature. But Chase, whom I've always adored, was starting to annoy me. Kaz and Skylar, like you, I felt that their subtle change in personalities was completely justified due to what they experienced, but Oliver was just…creepy. Though, I have seen some convincing arguments as to why his character ended up like this, so, maybe it was just cleverness on the writers' parts that we would have been able to see for ourselves if the series played out completely. Yes, Jaime was killed. Alivia…I can't publicly confirm/deny that yet, you know. I will, however, confirm that yes, Clone Master was killed, and that will be touched upon in chapter 10. As for your guesses for Love and War, they are very good. That's all I can say for now. Chase will pop the question this season (after all, my season finale is going to be called 'I Do'), though it won't be right away. As you noticed, he hasn't had a chance to do shopping, and there's stuff to do, and honestly, I just wanted to figure out what chapter it would work best in. Obviously, I know now, but I can't say. But I agree – they do have to be careful not to make any Daven-babies…yet. I think they've got their hands full for now. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Oliver McFly: I can try, but could you be more specific? What do you want changed?**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway! On with the story!**

 **Bree: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"Morning." Calla greeted, walking into the kitchen. I looked up from my magazine as she passed me.

"Morning." I replied, watching herself make a coffee.

"Want some?" She offered, glancing over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure." I nodded at her. She nodded and reached for another couple, while her eyes remained fixed on the steam of coffee pouring from the expresso machine. "Hey, so I'm curious about something."

"Shoot." She replied.

"Why don't you have bionics?" I asked. She looked up, surprised, then turned around to hand me my mug. "I mean, Bree mentioned that her chip had to be rebuilt a couple of years ago, so it's not like it's impossible. And her and Chase's stepbrother has a bionic arm, right?"

"And leg." Calla nodded. She pulled up a stool. "Bionics aren't as simple as that. You can't just implant a chip into anyone, and the only reason Leo got his bionic limbs is because the limbs were damaged beyond repair."

"Then how do bionics work?" I asked, confused. She looked at me, surprised I asked, but then began to explain the mechanics of the bionic chips and how they integrated with the human nervous system. Talking science with Calla was very different than with Chase, I noted. While he would go into much deeper in his explanations, at times, I could barely understand what he was saying. He never took into account that I might not be on the same level as he was. Calla, on the other hand, was careful not to go too much out of my depths, though she didn't go quite into the same amount of detail.

About a half hour into our stimulating conversation, Kaz came jogging down the stairs. "What are you guys talking about?"

"The use of electroencephalogram technology in relation to Chase's telekinesis." Calla replied. Kaz looked at us.

"Boring." He yawned. Suddenly, a small ball of fire burst from his mouth and hit the coffee table in the living room, igniting it.

"Whoa!" I shouted in surprise, jumping to my feet. Calla ducked behind the kitchen counter and came back up a second later, holding a fire extinguisher. She quickly dealt with the fire as Chase came running in from the veranda.

"Seriously? We've barely been here four days, and you're already attempting to burn the place down?" he questioned. Davenport came rushing down the stairs.

"I heard an explosion!" He exclaimed, on edge. We all stared at him, or rather the skin-tight work out uniform he was wearing. "Are we getting attacked by shape-shifters again?"

"No," Chase quickly assured him before grimacing in disgust and tossing him a blanket from the couch. "But could you cover up? I'm seeing a few too many shapes shifting over there."

"What happened?" Davenport explained.

"I'm guessing a combination of gravity and middle age." I suggested. The others chuckled, though Davenport was unamused.

"To that." He clarified, pointing at the table.

"Oh, well, um…" Kaz chuckled sheepishly. "Oliver and Calla were talking about science, I got bored, I yawned, something flew out of my mouth, and voila, I set the table on fire."

"He must have discovered another super power." Chase announced, looking surprise. Kaz grinned, pleased with himself.

"Fire grenades. Cool." I smiled. Kaz looked at me.

"Fire grenade?" He repeated before shaking his head. "That's lame. I'm calling it my yawn bomb."

"Yes, because that's so much better." I commented sarcastically.

"Wait, you just discovered something you didn't even know you had?" Chase frowned. "How many powers were in that space rock?"

"Don't know. There wasn't exactly a manual." Kaz replied. "And even if there was, I probably wouldn't read it."

I chuckled, knowing that if the Arcturion HAD come with a manual, I would have read it twice, Dani would have skimmed it for the basics, and Kaz would have just tried copying us. "It's not all that different from when Adam, Bree, and Chase, were discovering your hidden abilities." Calla mentioned, looking over at Davenport. He nodded in agreement.

"Yes." He looked at his son. "You guys all discovered yours by accident."

"Except our abilities come from a highly advanced infrastructure and theirs come from a magic witch pebble."

"Chase." Calla looked at him warningly.

"Either way, this is a great opportunity for the team." Davenport insisted. "We can teach them to hone their abilities the way I trained you."

Neither Chase nor Kaz particularly enthusiastic about the idea, but Calla and I both beamed excitedly. "Superhero school. That sounds like fun."

"School. Boring." Kaz yawned again, and accidently spit out a fire grenade that blasted the umbrella stand. "Well, that's the last time that umbrella stand attacks us." Kaz joked when Davenport, Calla, and Chase looked at him sternly.

 **Xxx**

"Good news, ladies." Davenport announced, leading the way into Mission Command. Dani, Skylar, and Bree were all sitting at one of the consols, texting. "I'm about to teach my first class of superhero school."

They didn't even have to look at each other before they all responded in sync. "I'm out." "No thanks." "Maybe later."

"Dani, stay." Chase instructed as Calla walked past him and through one of the doors. As we'd found out, all those rocky barriers along the walls in Mission Command were actually sliding doors, and each one of them led to another room. There were six of them, some unused, but others being used as a storage room, weapon room, and Mission Control – which Chase didn't want us in, for fear of us breaking something.

"You're not in charge of me." My sister retorted.

"I'm Mission Leader!" Chase insisted.

" _Dee, don't argue with him. It's not worth the effort."_ I told her telepathically. She glared at me, still not entirely comfortable with the telepathic bond we shared. _"Besides, it could be fun."_

" _Unlikely."_ She retorted, but she did as Chase asked anyway, falling in line as Calla returned from the storage carrying a large crate full of empty water bottles.

"Okay, guys, I will be your instructor." Davenport announced, taking the crate from Calla and placing the 6 bottles in a line across one of the consols. "Chase and Calla will be my apprentices."

"What? Why are we the apprentices?" Chase demanded.

"Yeah. What do you know about superheroes?" Calla agreed.

"More than you." Davenport retorted.

"How would you know more than us? I've been 'borrowing'," I chuckled at Calla's air quotes, "from Leo's comic book collection for years. No way you know more than us."

"Hell, I'm Donald Davenport!" Davenport retorted.

"Just because you wear disturbingly tight unitards does not make you a superhero." Chase informed his father.

"You ever try fitting into them? Yes, it does." The man replied, ending the conversation. He turned to us. "Alright, Kaz, let's start with you. I want you to use your fire grenades to hit the bottle in the middle and leave the others untouched."

"Got it." Kaz nodded and stepped forward, a confident grin on his face.

"You might want to back up." I advised Calla and Chase. "When it comes to learning, Kaz doesn't."

"Ollie." Dani scolded half-heartedly, though she smirked the same as Calla and Chase.

"Alright. I think it went something like this." Kaz took a breath, then shot a single fire grenade out of his mouth. It hit the bottle dead-center – a perfect shot on the first try – and destroyed it. "Whoa!" "You did it." "Nice." The others complimented, tones of surprise all around. I was actually pretty shocked – it was so unusual for Kaz to succeed so well at something.

"Yeah. If our enemies are 16-ounce bottles of water, I think I'm ready." Kaz agreed, grinning.

"Great job, Kaz." Davenport nodded at him, then gestured for Dani to try. "Dani, now you go. I want you to create a ball of electricity and shoot it at the bottle on the far right."

"Easy." Dani assured him. She took Kaz's place, then separated her hands, forming a small ball of electricity between them. She focused for a moment, then shot the ball forward, taking out not just the bottle on the right, but the one next to it as well. She looked back at us, grinning sheepishly. "Okay, technically, I did hit the bottle."

"You were only supposed to hit one." Calla reminded her. "But it was a fairly good shot. We'll just have to work on your aim a bit."

"We can get to that later." Davenport promised my sister. "Oliver! You're up."

I gulped nervously, taking my sister's place. This was superhero school – they key word being 'school'. How could Dani and Kaz, neither of whom had ever been relatively good at anything involving school, be doing so well? I was supposed to be the one who was good at that stuff, not them. School was my thing, but now that we weren't in school anymore, what kind of edge did I have above them?

"Now, Oliver, since you have ice and water based abilities, I want you to use your cryoblast to freeze the bottle on the far left."

"No problem teach." I assured him, raising my right hand. I tried to use my powers just like I did the other night, but for some reason, it was like they were just out of reach. Instead of creating a powerful, icy blast, I only managed to create a single ice cube, which fell to the ground with a very soft thud.

"Is that an ice cube?" Calla questioned, frowning.

"I don't know what that was." I lied, embarrassed. "Uh, let me try again."

I turned back to the bottles as the others resumed waiting eagerly to see what I could do. _C'mon, do this_ , I thought to myself, raising my hand. But, just like last time, the only result was a pathetic ice cube. "Okay, yeah, that was an ice cube." I admitted, knowing I couldn't lie again.

"I don't get it. It worked fine when you froze Roman and Riker's black swarm." Chase frowned. I turned around to try again, determined.

" _Try focusing."_ Dani's voice popped into my head.

" _I am focusing."_ I retorted. She stepped closer, trying to be a little supportive.

" _Well, try focusing harder."_ She suggested innocently.

" _Why don't you go stand over there harder?"_ I snapped back. She rolled her eyes, but returned to Kaz's side.

I tried to focus my powers harder, but something was wrong; they wouldn't work right, no matter how hard I tried. Figures, just when Kaz and Dani begin to shine at this, I begin to fail.

"Oh, c'mon!" I grunted in frustration as another couple of ice cubes formed and fell from my hand.

"I don't know where to train him, or call the refrigerator repair man." Chase joked, earning a chuckle from Kaz.

"Oliver, it's okay. We'll work on it." Davenport told me. "Kaz, why don't you see how your grenades handle rapid fire."

"Okay." Kaz nodded and I stepped aside to let him take my spot. Dani patted my shoulder gently, her eyes on her boyfriend. "I mean, I haven't really tried it before, but I imagine it goes something like this."

He opened his mouth, and quickly, balls of fire exploded from his lips before crashing into the different bottles and taking them out one by one."

"Wow! You're a natural." Davenport explained. He looked back at us, and his smile faded. "Oliver, you're leaking all over my floor."

I looked down at the floor, and indeed, there was a puddle where the ice cubes had been. "Sorry." I mumbled in way of an apology.

 **Bree's POV**

Since Calla, Dani, and the boys were all down in Mission Command, I went off to find Skylar. Usually, it took a bit for me to grow really close to someone, but surprisingly, I'd become fast friends with her and Dani. Maybe it was a result of us sharing a room, or maybe our common interests, but hey, I wasn't about to complain about having good friends that were girls. Back home in Mission Creek, I had to drag people kicking and screaming to the mall if I wanted some company (except for Calla, but she'd spent the entire time in stores like Tech Town and The Kessel Run, which was no fun for me).

Eventually, I found the girl lying on one of the chairs outside, reading a magazine. "So, how do you like Centium City?" I asked, curious. Mr. Davenport had given us all some money yesterday to go shopping (for clothing and other household necessities that we may have left back home) and we'd taken the opportunity to check out a large portion of the city.

"It's great, but it's kind of overwhelming." Skylar admitted, sitting up completely as I settled myself onto one of the other chairs. "I mean, I'm just a small-town alien girl."

"Yeah, that's never going to stop sounding weird." I told her. She shrugged.

"What I mean is, I've been to school, but I haven't experienced much of the real world." She clarified. I beamed; finally someone who had even less social experience than I have!

"Me neither! I couldn't be more socially awkward!" I gushed. I paused, thinking about what I just said. "I don't know why I'm so excited about that."

Skylar laughed lightly. "This is going to fun." She commented, obviously referring to our friendship.

"I finally get to have another girl around." I agreed.

"What about Calla?" Skylar reminded me.

"She's always either with Chase, or working on some new weapon or invention." I explained. "That's why it's so nice to have you and Dani around. You guys are like the sisters I never had."

Skylar looked at me, touched. "You really think of me as a sister."

"Of course I do." I promised her. I held out my arms. "Bring it in."

To my surprise, instead of hugging me, Skylar dropped low and kicked her leg out, knocking my feet out from under me. Before I recover, or even react, she grabbed my legs and pulled them upwards at a painful angle. "What are you doing?" I demanded, struggling.

"Having fun with my new sis." She insisted, as if it should have been obvious. She pulled harder, and I cried out in pain. "Aw, your tiny bone pops are adorable."

 **Oliver's POV**

While Davenport spent some extra time working with Kaz (he said that he had an idea of how to put his powers to good use), and Calla helped Dani work on her accuracy, I went looking for Chase. He wasn't hard to find – he was sitting in the living room, working on his laptop.

"Hey, Chase." He shut his laptop, looking up, surprised. "Can we talk, smart guy to smart guy?"

"Well, we can talk smart guy to smartest guy." He joked, smirking. I frowned. "Alright, what's up?"

"I'm just not getting this whole superhero thing." I admitted, a little embarrassed. He nodded.

"Yeah, me neither." He agreed. "We've been over this. Magic witch pebble."

"No, I mean, earlier today, I was-" I began.

"A dud?" He interrupted.

"I was going to say-"

"A failure."

"No, I was thinking-"

"A disaster."

"Would you let me finish?!" I snapped, annoyed. He paused, but smirked, then let me continue. "It's weird. In school, I always picked things up quickly, but for some reason, I just…I can't figure out these powers. Something's off."

"I think I know what's off." Chase stood up. "Your world is upside down because you're usually the A student and Kaz and Dani are the F students. It's psyching you out that they're better at this than you."

"What? No, that's crazy. They are not better than me, despite all the overwhelming evidence that says otherwise." I retorted defensively. Dani and Kaz better at learning stuff than me? Not a chance. "I just need your help."

"Okay." Chase agreed. "Maybe you just need some more practice. We can focus on one of your other powers. It might be easier."

I grinned. "Yes, that's a great idea." And I had the perfect power in mind. "I have another super power that shoots a water vortex from my hand. I call it cyclone fingers."

"Wait." Chase smirked, raising his hand to his mouth. "You dispense ice and water? Do you also have a vegetable crisper?"

I scowled as he chuckled in amusement.

 **Bree's POV**

I barely managed to get away from Skylar and into the hyperlift. What the heck was going on with her? One minute we were chatting, and the next, she was trying to annihilate me. "Quick, help me!" I shouted, racing into Mission Command. Dani, Calla, and Mr. Davenport were all standing around one of the rock walls as Kaz blasted it with fire. I skidded to a stop, realizing that he was burning an image of Mr. Davenport into the wall. "That's gonna come off, right?"

"Probably not." Calla told me.

"Nor should it." Mr. Davenport looked at us, aghast at the very thought.

"What's going on?" Dani asked, frowning.

"I told Skylar she was like a sister to me, and then, out of nowhere, she started throwing me around like Adam does with Chase." I explained quickly. "She gave me a wedgie. Girls don't do that."

"You've clearly never been in a fight with Becky." Calla commented. Dani and Kaz exchanged knowing looks, smirking.

"Yeah." Kaz chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, what?" I demanded. I tossed a look over my shoulder at the hyperlift to make sure the alien girl hadn't followed me yet.

"That's how all the girls on Skylar's planet are." Kaz explained. "They're beautiful and friendly, and incredibly violent."

"They treat each other like brothers." Dani clarified. "It seems weird, I know, but she's acting like that because she's trying to bond with you."

"That's great." Sarcasm dripped from my tone, "You know, all I ever wanted was a sister, but instead I get a steel cage she-beast that assaults me in my own home."

Suddenly, I heard the hyperlift activate, and I panicked. "She's coming! Hide me!" I begged.

"You have an invisibility app." Mr. Davenport pointed out. Oh, duh.

"Right." I nodded, before turning invisible. I held still as Skylar came into the room, knowing that the only way that she'd find me is if I made a loud noise or if she accidently walked into me.

"Hey guys." Skylar greeted the others before pausing. She turned to look in my direction. "Oh, I think Bree wants to play another game." She leaned in close to me, despite the fact that she couldn't see me. "I can hear you breathing."

She stepped back for a very brief moment before kicking me hard in the gut. I dropped to the ground, all the air rushing from my lungs. "Wow, she really likes you!" Kaz exclaimed. I looked up to glare at him as my stomach throbbed painfully.

 **Oliver's POV**

I held my hand out, watching as a large cyclone of water spouted from it. "You're doing great, Oliver." Chase complimented as I stopped the cyclone. "Maybe I was wrong about Kaz getting into your head."

"This is amazing." I agreed, grinning. "Chase, I can't thank you enough."

"Well, there's always money." He reminded me. I looked at him, unsure of whether or not he was joking, just as Kaz, Dani, Calla, and Davenport walked out onto the veranda.

"Hey guys." They greeted us.

"Oh, hey Kaz, Dee." I zeroed in on them. "What a coincidence. Chase and I were just not thinking about you."

"…Okay." Dani smiled in confusion.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Davenport inquired.

"Not much, just perfecting this super cool new power." I bragged. "Check it out. Cyclone fingers."

I raised my hand and created another vortex, this one bigger than before. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Dani and Kaz for their reactions, but their faces didn't give anything away. In an effort to show that my powers were just as cool as theirs, I tried to make the cyclone bigger, but soon lost control of it.

"Oliver?" Chase questioned as the cyclone began to sway violently, coming far too close to them.

"Don't worry, I got this." I told them, hoping I was right, as I tried to regain control of the cyclone. I stumbled as it struck out towards the others. I tried to step back to get it away from them, but only for it to swing right into Davenport. The cyclone knocked him straight off the veranda, just before the water twister disappeared.

"Shit!" Chase swore as we all rushed to the edge of the veranda, looking down.

"That was really good, bud," Kaz glanced at me, "up until that last part."

"Mr. Davenport, are you okay?" Calla called, leaning forward as much as she dared. I look over the wall to see Davenport desperately clutching to the massive bust of his head attached to the building.

"Help!" The man shouted in response. "I'm hanging on by a hair! My luscious, full-bodied hair! Help me!"

"Hang on, Mr. Davenport!" Dani shouted down to him. My sister frowned, then looked at Chase. "Speaking of which, what is he hanging onto?"

"Daven-head." Calla and Chase responded in unison.

"He put a giant bust of his own head on the building?" I'd seen the bust when we first came here, but at the time, I hadn't given it a second glance.

"No, the Daven-head came first." Chase told us. "He had the tower built to support it."

"I knew he had a big head, but I never thought it would save his life." Kaz chuckled.

"I heard that, new guy!" Davenport snapped at us, but that only made Kaz chuckle harder.

"Hey, Ollie? I think we should change the name of your cyclone fingers to 'irresponsible wind of doom'." Dani suggested, giving me a look.

"HeY! I thought it was perfected, and so did he!" I pointed at Chase.

"Whoa, don't rope me into this." He retorted. "I'm still trying to figure out you super freaks."

"Uh, I hate to interrupt, but could one of you heroes get down here and save me?" Davenport demanded. We looked over the wall again.

"You think you could pull yourself to the top of the head?" Chase suggested. The head wasn't too far down, so if he could stand on top of it, it wouldn't be that difficult to pull him up.

"It's too slippery! I can't get a foothold." He called. "My face it too perfect!"

"Debatable." Dani muttered.

"I'll be right down!" Chase called. He stopped. "Wait, what am I saying? You three can fly. Get down there and save him! Actually…" He looked at Kaz and Dani. "Why don't one of you go down there and save him?"

"Why not me?" I demanded.

"Uh, no offense, but I don't trust you with your own life." Chase told me. "But if Mr. Davenport needs a cold beverage, you'll be the first person I call."

"I got this." Kaz offered.

"No, I got this." I told him. I needed to prove myself, and this was the best way to do so.

"Actually, I can still hear you, and my vote's for Kaz. Or Dani. Or Chase, even though he can't fly. Hell, Calla doesn't even have abilities and I'd still vote for her."

"Don't worry, Mr. Davenport. I'm coming to save you." I announced before climbing up onto the wall. I jumped off the wall, and into the air. The air rushed past my face as I began to slow my descent. Still not the greatest at landings, I crashed into the Daven-head. "Sorry," I apologized to my boss, "Still working on the landings."

Davenport didn't look very reassured by my attempt to help him. In fact, both him and the Daven-head had pretty grim expressions on their faces. "You know what's weird? You both look equally disappointed in me."

"We are." Davenport promised me, scowling.

 **Bree's POV**

"Lost her, finally." I sighed in relief as I made my way back into the Penthouse. After I'd managed to get away from Skylar earlier, I figured the best way to get a real break from her was to head back to the Bionic Academy for a while, so I'd grabbed the Geoleap bracelet and spent most of the day with Jaden. Eventually, though, I had to come back.

"Ahh!" There was a sudden scream from above me, and I didn't even have the chance to look up before Skylar dropped down on me. I cried out in pain as I was slammed down to the ground. She pinned me to the ground, grinning. "Gotcha!"

"Okay, that's it." I muttered when I could speak again. I grabbed her arms and pushed them out from under her, then took advantage of her surprise and flipped her over onto her back before grabbing one of her arms and pulling it tightly upwards.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Skylar cried, trying to pull away. She tapped the ground several times as a sign that she was surrendering, and I released her. "That really hurt!" Skylar complained as she got up. Then she grinned. "Nice."

"No, not nice." I corrected, annoyed. "Skylar, I can't do this anymore."

"Bree, we're heroes. 'can't' isn't in our vocabulary." She chided. "Now, wanna rumble?"

"No." I said quickly, shaking my head. "Look, this might be the way you do things on your planet, but here, sisters don't throttle each other to show their love. We do it by pretending to be nice and talking behind each other's backs."

"Oh, well, I've been doing that too." She reassured me. I looked at her, and she sighed, her expression turning apologetic. "Bree, I'm sorry, but I told you: this is all really new to me. The city, having a sister…"

"It's okay." I told her. "I get it. This is all new to me too. That's why we're luck to have each other, so we can figure it all out together. But I can't do that if you're pile-driving me into the floor."

"Why didn't you say something?" Skylar frowned.

"Oh, were my screams too subtle?" I demanded sarcastically.

She laughed sheepishly. "Okay, from now on, no more physical violence."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Except one a week?" She tried.

"No." I replied.

"Once a month?" She asked hopefully.

"Not a chance." I retorted.

"Holidays." She begged. I sighed; there was no getting out of this, was there?

"Fine." I agreed reluctantly. She beamed

"Great!" She exclaimed, smiling at me just before she punched me in the gut with all her might.

"OW!" I exclaimed, hunching over. "What was that for?"

"Happy Flag Day, sis." Skylar smiled at me.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Any chance you could move your hand over a little bit?" I requested, feeling my hand slip a little more.

"Oh, yeah, and right after that, I'll just plummet to my death!" Davenport snapped, refusing to move his hand. "You can fly. Why aren't you saving us?"

"I keep messing up. What if I do it again and one of us dies?" I looked at him, worried. Lately, I just couldn't do anything right, especially when it came to my powers.

"Well, if you're talking about me, that would be a tragedy of epic worldwide proportion." Davenport replied.

"And what about me?" I demanded.

"If this were about you, we'd be hanging onto a giant bust of your head." Davenport snapped.

 **Dani's POV**

"Why isn't Ollie saving him?" I asked, looking down at the two. I was sitting on top of the wall, my legs hanging off the edge, while Kaz and Chase both sat with their backs against the columns on either side of me. I looked at Kaz. "Should we fly down and get them?"

"No, don't." Chase shook his head, looking down.

"Ah, you inherit the old man's building and bank account if he splats?" Kaz guessed, smirking. "Say no more."

"No, Oliver needs to save Mr. Davenport himself." Chase insisted. "The reason he's having trouble with his powers in because he's insecure. You're outshining him, and it's getting into his head."

I frowned. Really? I mean, we weren't trying to outshine him or anything – Kaz and I just happened to have some sort of natural talent with this kind of thing. "Wait, so he's intimidated because we're so good at it?"

"Well, I hate to say it, but I may need another super power just to rein in all this awesome." Kaz bragged. I slapped him in the arm, smiling.

"Guys, the more you succeed, the more it shines a light on the fact that Oliver is struggling." Chase continued. "The only way for him to get over that is to make him feel like he can do it."

"So we're going to let him save Mr. Davenport." I nodded in agreement.

"Well, all righty then." Kaz clapped his hands together. "So let's go make some popcorn and see how this train wreck turns out."

"Way ahead of you." Calla declared, walking in from the kitchen, carrying two massive bowls of popcorn. She handed one to Kaz and the other to Chase. Kaz and I stared at her, surprised, but she just shrugged. "Whenever I was stuck in the lab when they were on missions, I had the habit of making popcorn to help pass the time."

"Smart girl." Kaz complimented. She smirked, then leaned on the wall next to me to get a better look at what was going on down there.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Oh, great." I muttered as a cool breeze blew over me. "I'm starting to get chilly."

"It's official. You are the worst superhero ever." Davenport muttered. Suddenly, I felt the Daven-head shake. Glancing down, I noticed that there were large cracks near the base of the bust.

"Your face is cracking." I murmured, eyes wide.

"Forehead or cheekbones?" Davenport demanded, looking equally panicked.

"Not you, the Daven-head!" I snapped. "Our weight is pulling it off the base."

"No, your weight is pulling it off the base." Davenport corrected. "I was doing just fine until you got here. Now, do something!"

"I know exactly what to do." It was the only thing I could think of. "KAZ! DEE! HELP!"

 **Dani's POV**

"KAZ! DEE! HELP!" We all looked down at Ollie's shout.

"Sorry, buddy!" Kaz called down. "There's no way I could carry both of you!"

"I may be the athlete of the family, but you're heavy. I'll drop you for sure!" I added.

"Nice excuse. Sounds pretty believable." Calla complimented, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of the bowl in Chase's lap.

"Actually, it's the truth." Dani commented. "Ollie's the only one with super strength. We couldn't save 'em if we wanted to."

"Not even if you each take one?" Calla demanded, eyes wide. Kaz shook his head.

"Nope. We'd have to carry their entire body weight, while flying against gravity. Not easy. I might be able to carry you, shorty." The 5'2 girl glared at him. "But that's a maybe."

"Wait, so Mr. Davenport's life is really in Oliver's hands?" Chase demanded. Kaz nodded.

"Yep. His wet, slipper, ice cube-y hands." Kaz told him. Chase's eyes grew even bigger and he pulled the popcorn bowl close to him, clutching it nervously.

 **Oliver's POV**

"What are we going to do?" I asked, biting my lip worriedly.

"I'm sure Chase and Calla will come up with something." Davenport told me, but he didn't sound too certain.

"And what if they don't?" I demanded.

"Then I guess we're going to die!" He snapped, before adding, "I'm too young to die."

"I'm too young to die. You're just about the right age." I retorted. I gasped as the Daven-head began to crack some more, and I almost felt my grip slip.

"We're running out of time." Davenport muttered. He looked at me. "Oliver, you have to do something. You're the only one who can save us."

"You're right." I realized. Suddenly, it didn't matter that Kaz and Dani were watching, or that they were better with their powers than me. It was just me, Davenport, and my powers. I could do this, I could do this, I could do-

I pushed off the Daven-head just as it began to fall. I flew after it, then, once I was close enough, grabbed Davenport by the back of his pants, and stopped my descent. I soared back into the sky, heading for the penthouse veranda. I grinned as I landed on it, my landing a bit unsteady, but far better than any of the my past ones. Davenport fell to his knees the moment he touched the ground, relieved. "I did it!" I exclaimed, grinning at the stunned looks on everyone else's faces. "I'm a hero!"

"Yeah, but next time you save a guy, pick a better hand hold." Davenport told me, adjusting his pants with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Sorry. It was tough to get a grip with all your shifting shapes." I replied, smirking.

"I can't believe he came through." Kaz told my sister. I looked at him. "Sorry. I mean…Yeah, I can't believe you came through."

Well, at least he was honest about it. "Just out of curiosity, what was your back-up plan in case Oliver here didn't save me?" Davenport demanded, looking at the others.

"Take your helicopter for a spin and not come back." "Preserve your real Daven-head in the name of science." "Change your will so that it signs Davenport Industries over to Leo and I before anyone notices." "I was gonna get a spatula and meet you down at the sidewalk." They all replied in unison.

"Hilarious." Davenport commented sarcastically. "I'm leaving everything to Bree."

He stormed off, annoyed. "I'm proud of you, Oliver." Chase told me, patting me on the shoulder.

"Thanks." I smiled at him appreciatively. "Oh, and by the way, you were right. Once I stopped worrying and Dani and Kaz, and started believing in myself, everything came together."

"You really stepped up when it mattered, Oliver." Calla told me. "And that's part of being a hero no one can teach."

"Except me." Chase added. His girlfriend rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand, and led him into the living room.

"Nice job, Ollie." Dani hugged me.

"Congrats bud." Kaz agreed. "I guess we're all good at this superhero thing."

"Yeah." Suddenly, I caught of whiff of hot butter in the air. "Hey, were you eating popcorn while I was hanging off the edge of the building?"

"Yeah." Dani nodded. I looked at her, then at Kaz.

"Did you at least save some for me?" I asked.

"Um, no. We thought you were gonna fall." Kaz informed me, before patting me on the shoulder and walking away.

 **Xxx**

"Who orders a cookies and cream smoothie?" Dani questioned, staring at Calla as we headed into the penthouse. As a celebration of surviving our first day of superhero school, all of us (including Bree and Skylar) had gone out for smoothies as a treat.

"Who doesn't order a cookies and cream smoothie?" The brunnete retorted. We all stopped in the living room, seeing Davenport in the center of it, along with another man, who was messing around with what looked like a container of plaster. Our boss had a white mask over his face with straws poking out where his nose should be. "Uh, Mr. Davenport?"

"Oh, hey guys." The man greeted us.

"Ew." Skylar wrinkled her nose in disgust at the mask. "Okay, I'm from another planet, and I've never seen anything that weird."

"I'm gonna Daven-puke." Bree declared.

"And to think we could've just let him fall." Calla commented. All four of the girls headed upstairs, Dani and Calla still debating over whether or not a smoothie needed to have fruit in it.

"What's going on?" Chase asked.

"He's making a mold of my face to replace the broken Daven-head." Mr. Davenport replied, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

"But if they're only doing your head, why are you still wearing that outfit?" I questioned. Seriously, he'd been wearing that workout outfit all day.

"Because I look great in it." He insisted. Kaz looked at me.

"Do we have any super powers that can make me unsee this?" He asked. I shook my head, for no, we sadly did not.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, what did you guys think? Good, bad? In between? Reviews motivate me to write! Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few of weeks:**

 **January 23** **rd** **: Power Play**

 **January 30** **th** **: Superhero Code**

 **February 6** **th** **: The Need for Speed**

 **Anyway, I will see you guys in a week! Don't forget to review!**


	3. Power Play

**Kihonne: I'm back! And this time, I've brought Power Play! But before I can get onto the chapter, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Darth Becky 726: I'm glad you liked it! Now, as for the proposal, there won't be a whole chapter dedicated to it, but I plan on altering one of the upcoming chapters to include the proposal scene. That being said, I do have a wedding chapter in the works, so you will be at least able to see them walk down the aisle. I will be doing a Q &A, but it probably won't be until early season 2. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **IAMAGUEST: I'm glad you're excited. Right now, the Mr. Terror thing is on hold, mainly because I don't want to have to split the readers' and characters' attentions between both sets of villains. I want to give each villain their own time to shine, so I'm putting Terror off for a bit. But when I do come back to her, trust me, it's going to be epic. I might do a superhero party, or at least a regular party, and well…let's just say our friends from the Bionic Academy will be slightly more involved with the Elite Force than the TV series. That's all I can say for now, as I don't want to spoil anything big. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked it so much! Thank you so much for the kind words – they really mean a lot. And I know, right? The cliffhanger has been driving me nuts, but I think I have the perfect way to handle it, and I don't think that even if they did continue the series, they could have done it, so I'm really excited to unveil that. I think you're going to like my season 2 – I've got a few surprises and plans that I think a lot of people are hoping for. As for an original chapter with the whole gang there, I do plan on having them all guest star at least once, if not more (Leo, for example, is set to be in 3 different chapters between both seasons) and your idea of them going after the same villain together? Well, great minds think alike, I suppose ;) Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Taa: Ah, got it. I was just curious. I do have a couple of ideas for a new OC that I could introduce as a cousin, though it's more likely that they will appear either really late in the story, or possibly in another Elite Force story.**

 **LabGirl2001: Thanks! I hoped people would find that funny. Okay, season 3…I've done some thinking, and here's the deal: I won't be doing one. Instead, I will be adding another story into the timeline of my Elite Force series. See, the plans I've been looking at, I think they would work a lot better if the characters were a bit older, so instead of a third season, I'm just going to write another story for the series, set 2 or 3 years later, using the same plot I was going to use for season 3. It works out a fair bit better too, as I was already consider doing another story with the Elite Force, as one final fight before they go off and start families.**

 **SzymonS: Thank you so much. As for Roman and Riker, I'm not sure why they keep letting the Elite Force survive, despite the number of times they've beaten them, but if I had to guess, it has something to do with them wanting to make Kaz, Oliver, Dani, and Skylar watch them destroy what's left of the superhero world. They want the heroes to suffer a bit before finally taking them out. But I will do my best to fill in that plot hole with an explanation. I'm not going to have Chase propose during the 3** **rd** **anniversary, for 3 reasons. 1, I like making the joke about how Calla and Chase can never have an anniversary that doesn't involve near-death experiences, and 2, since I try to keep the story going with real time, their anniversary wouldn't be for months (it's in August) and I'd like to have his proposal much earlier than that, and 3, an anniversary proposal is cliché, and while a little cliché is good, I think it would be over the top for them. The proposal will happen before The Attack, as I'm planning to have their actual wedding a couple of chapters after The Attack. But don't worry – it may not have the same poetic ring as doing in the middle of the last episode, but the proposal will be very special. As for Reese, I have slightly different plans for her. Oliver and Skylar are practically dating by time The Attack comes, so neither will be single, but I have a decent idea of how to get Reese into the penthouse without her appearance there seeming off. It's hard to explain right now, but you'll get what I mean when we get to that chapter. I agree about the organization – you'd think somebody would be investigating bionics and superheroes. Seriously, it was a brilliant idea, one that I definitely want to explore to greater lengths. The episode The List won't name ALL of the survivors, but you'll definitely hear more names other than Crossbow. I want to slowly reveal the surviving heroes, as many of those who survived will have big parts in my upcoming story Love and War. But by the end of the season, you, along with the rest of the readers, will know exactly who survived the attack on Mighty Med. As for Skylar's ability to stop time, I agree that it is annoying (she's freakishly over-powered to the point where I sometimes consider her a Mary Sue), though, since I'm writing The Rock a bit differently than the original, I have a different way to get rid of that ability. I'm planning on having Skylar only recover some of her abilities, not all 24, and I've chosen ones that still make her very powerful, but not overly powerful either. Now, while I will admit my writing style was far from perfect when I started The Lab Assistant, it was also the first time I'd ever written a real story, and I was barely fifteen years old then. Cut me some slack, and as you pointed out, I gained a lot of experience through writing The Lab Assistant. As for Caldera, I'm not sure how much I want to expand on that, as there are other plotlines I'd like to put more focus on, but I will at least deal with it a little more than the TV series. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Anonlabratslover: Thanks so much!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Interesting idea for powers. I've read about something similar, I think (Duck from the Gone series could use this, I believe) so I will definitely consider using it. Thanks, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Layla347: Thank you! I really hope you like it!**

 **Oliver McFly: I can't do that, simply because Chase getting the credit for it allows for a lot of jokes, but I did alter the ending slightly, in a way that I think you will be satisfied with.**

 **Avaoreo1112: Thank you so much, and don't worry about it. I totally get how busy the holidays can be and how midterms can distract you from reading. I'm glad you liked the ending I had for the Days of Our Lives, and I think you're really going to be excited about the original chapters I have planned. As for Calla and Dani, they are going to have a very interesting relationship, especially because of the contrast in their lives. It's not just different personalities at work here, it's different experiences and ages. Calla's been through more than Dani has, at least on an experience level, but Dani has dealt with a lot more blows closer to home, especially with her mother, so they're going to make things very interesting. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter!**

 **Eliteforce12: Well, I'm always happy to hear from my readers. Thank you so much for your very sweet words – they mean a lot. I'm glad you like Challa so much too – Chase is my favorite as well – and I really hope you like what I have in store for the future of this story. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Sacredmaiden009: You are not the only one to suggest a Spike chapter. It did bother me that he didn't make an appearance in the series, so I've got a chapter in my second season slotted to have him in it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and if you have any other ideas, please let me know!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Mrs. Ramsay: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"Hey Chase." I greeted the older boy as he walked into the kitchen from the veranda, carrying a large bucket in one hand. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I just reinforced all the winds with an impenetrable polymer Calla and I designed to keep this place safe from any threat." He nodded at his girlfriend, who was sitting at the dining room table with Dani, teaching my sister Blackjack.

"Oh yeah? Well I just made myself a grilled cheese." I teased jokingly. Chase chuckled and went to sit down next to Calla as Skylar walked into the room.

"Mm, something smells good." She smiled pleasantly. I smirked.

"Yep, that's my sandwich." I told her.

"No, smells more like reinforced polymer." She decided. I chuckled.

"Oh you." I pointed at her, but accidently sprayed her in the face with a stream of water from my finger.

"Oliver!" She shouted, wiping the water off her face.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." I apologized quickly. "I'm still trying to get the hang of my powers."

That was the WRONG thing to say. Skylar fixed me with a glare powerful enough to kill a god. "Oh, you poor thing." Her tone was layered with sarcasm. "It must be so hard for you."

"That's not what I meant." I wasn't trying to complain about my powers; I knew I was lucky to have them, and it was difficult for her to watch us use them without thinking of her own lost abilities.

"No, no, no. Thank you once again for reminding me how you have powers, and I don't." She snapped before stalking away, clearly pissed. I gulped nervously, then looked over and Chase, Dani, and Calla, all of whom had been listening in on the conversation.

"Alien chicks, am I right?" I chuckled nervously, trying to blow it off.

"Question," Calla raised her hand for a moment, "If Skylar was born a superhero, and alien, why doesn't she have any powers?"

"Well, she used to." Dani explained. "Hell, she used to be one of the most powerful superheroes alive."

"But then a human-turned-mutant named the Annihilator drained them out of her, and put them on a shelf as a trophy." I continued. "We got them back for her, but it turned out he tainted them to make her turn evil."

"And then she tried to kill all of us, especially Ollie, so we had to have them drained out of her again, and that is the very long story as to why she doesn't have powers." Dani finished. "Oh, and Ollie promised her he'd get them back for her, 'cause he likes her, but he never did." She paused. "Wow, no wonder she's pissed at you."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Dee." I commented sarcastically. She shrugged, then looked back at her cards.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but you have to agree that that just sounds ridiculous." Chase commented, looking at me in exasperation. I didn't argue with him – our lives were just plain weird. "Look, if Skylar's going to be a part of this team, then she's going to need her powers."

"What about Calla? She doesn't have any powers. Does that mean she can't be part of the team?" Dani asked, frowning. Calla and Chase both looked at her like she was crazy.

"I can handle myself." "Have you seen her with a weapon?" They both replied. Dani frowned.

"Sorry if I'm skeptical, but you're a 5'2 nerd without super powers or much physical training." Dani pointed out.

"And you're a human-shaped plasma globe." Calla shot back. Dani frowned, confused, so Calla continued. "I don't need powers to be a hero."

"That being said, Skylar's powers could be a major asset, so I need to figure out a way to get them back for her." Chase decided.

"No, I have to be the one to get her powers back." I told him.

"Why you?" Chase questioned, frowning.

"Because, then she falls in love with me, then we get married, then we live out happy little superhero lives together forever in a space castle." I explained.

"You know, in your funny, yet creepy, little world, I believe that could happen." Calla commented. I smiled.

"Thanks for the support." I let her know before looking back at Chase. "I've been trying to get powers back for almost two years now. So far, no luck."

"That's because you didn't have my vast scientific knowledge to help you, and now you do." He assured me. "I'll even give you all the credit so she thinks you're the hero."

"Thanks, man." I grinned at him. "You're the best. One day, I'm gonna do something for you."

I gave him a thumbs up, but accidently sprayed him with water, just like I did Skylar. "You could start by getting me a towel." He told me, giving me a look. I chuckled apologetically.

 **Xxx**

"How's it going down here?" I inquired, heading down into the mission command. It had been a few hours since Chase had offered to help me get Skylar's powers back, and I thought I'd come down to check on what his status was.

"I think I might be onto something." Chase announced, stepping away from a large chemistry set. I smiled, relieved, as he began to explain. "If Skylar was born with powers, then the cells that created them should still be inside her body; they're just dormant. So, if science applies – which who knows if it will, since we're dealing with…well, let's just call her for what she is: a freak - then we might be able to stimulate those dormant cells."

"Great, but how?" I questioned. Chase considered the question for a moment.

"Does Skylar have any weaknesses?" He inquired.

"No, she's perfect." I replied. "Although, she'd tell you that one of her knees is higher than the other, but that's not true."

"I meant physical weaknesses." Chase clarified. "Calla says that every superhero has one."

"There is a chemical compound in coal that's harmful to her." I answered. I frowned. "Hey, speaking of Calla, why isn't she helping us with this? She loves superheroes."

Chase chuckled. "It's a bit of a long story, but Calla's not allowed to perform any experiments on anyone with the name 'Skylar'." I stared at him, confused. "Basically, there was this girl named Skylar at our old school, and they hated each other, which was fine, but then Skylar started some big fight at school or something…and anyway, Calla retaliated by turning the girl's hair purple for a week."

"Remind me never to piss your girlfriend off." I commented. Chase nodded, chuckling.

"Powers or not, trust me, she's dangerous." He agreed. "Anyway, I think the coal is a good place for us to start. I can try to use it to shock Skylar's immune system. It should wake up at least some of the cells, if not all of them."

"No, you can't give her coal." I shook my head, looking at him. "It's way too dangerous."

"In abundance, yes." Chase agreed. "But a trace amount should safely stimulate the regeneration of her superpowers."

"Oh. I wish I'd thought of that." I commented as the hyperlift activated. Chase smiled.

"Good news; you just did." He told me, putting his hand on my shoulder, then turning me to face the doors of the hyperlift. Skylar stepped inside.

"Dani told me you were looking for me." She told me, still sounding mad about earlier. I grinned, ready to brighten her day.

"Guess what." I told her.

"Oh, let me guess…you discovered a new superpower." She rolled her eyes. "What now? Can you shoot torpedoes out of your nose?"

"No, I thought I could a few weeks ago, but turns out it was just a sinus infection." I admitted. "Anyway, I, Oliver, have been working with some of Chase's lab equipment and I, Oliver, think I, Oliver, have found a way to restore your powers."

Her expression turned from annoyed to shocked and ecstatic and disbelieving, all at once. "Y-You did?" She didn't quite believe me. I nodded.

"Yes, I, Oliver, did." I assured her. She looked at me, then her gaze flickered to Chase.

"He did?" She questioned him. Chase nodded.

"Yep." He lied. "He, Oliver, really did. And I would know, because I, Chase, am the smartest man in the world and I, Chase, come up with fixes for everything."

"Except this." I added, glaring at him. Couldn't he keep his ego under control for ten minutes?

"But I could have." Chase insisted.

"But he didn't." I told Skylar.

 **Kaz's POV**

"See? That wasn't so bad." I mentioned to Bree as we stepped off the elevator. She'd complained the whole way up to our floor about having to ride the elevator with me.

"You made us stop on all 110 floors." She argued, opening the door to the penthouse. Calla and Dani were inside, the two girls bent over a laptop.

"Look, Bree, if I have the opportunity to push a button and make it light up, I'm gonna do it." I defended myself. Suddenly, a small, pink pig raced past us, into the penthouse, and jumped onto the couch to lie down on Dani's lap.

"Um, okay? Why is there a pig in our penthouse?" Calla questioned, closing the laptop.

"I'm guessing he came into some money on the farm." I joked. Dani laughed lightly, petting the pig.

"Hey, little guy," she cooed. "How'd you get up here?"

"Well, I'm sure he didn't press every button on the elevator." She snarked, looking pointedly at me. An older woman, middle-aged and short with short, light brown hair approached the penthouse just then.

"Oh, Petey, there you are!" She exclaimed, spotting the pig through the door. The pig oinked happily, then tore off Dani's lap and raced to the woman. She bent down to pet him, then looked at us gratefully. "Oh, thank you for finding my dear pet, Petey."

"Wait, that thing is your pet?" Calla questioned, looking at her like she was crazy. She and Bree exchanged disgusted looks.

"Cool! I've always wanted a pig for a pet." I grinned at the woman. I pointed at Petey's wagging tail. "Look at his little tail go! It's like it's got a mind of its own!"

"It's very nice to meet you." Bree told the woman. "I'm Bree, and these are my roommates, Kaz, Calla, and Dani."

"Oh, lovely to meet you. I'm Mrs. Ramsay." The woman beamed at us. "You know, the rest of us tenants have been wondering what kind of classy people would be moving into the penthouse."

I bent down to talk to Petey. "Come on, Petey!" I cooed to the pet. "Give me a kiss! Hit me with your porky pucker!"

"Yeah, that's us." Calla laughed lightly, embarrassed. "Classiest kids in town."

"You must be a pig person." Mrs. Ramsay told me. I nodded in agreement, still petting Petey. "Oh, now I know this is last minute, but I have to go visit my daughter this weekend. Is there any chance that you'd wanna watch Petey for me?"

"Of course." Dani and I replied, at the same time as Calla and Bree said, "No thanks."

"One moment, miss." Calla told Mrs. Ramsay before she and Bree pulled Dani and I to the side. "Guys, we're not pig-sitting."

"Why not?" Dani protested.

"There are already three teenage boys in this penthouse. The last thing we need is another disgusting animal."

"I'm sorry. I did not know you guys were pig-a-phobic." I grumbled.

"Technically, it's swinophobia." Calla corrected. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ramsay, but you're going to have to find someone else to watch Petey." Dani told Mrs. Ramsay apologetically. "It was really nice to meet both of you, though."

"It's alright, sweetie." Mrs. Ramsay told her gently. She jerked her head at Bree and Calla. "Come on, Petey. Those two don't like you."

"I'll take the elevator down with you." I offered to the woman. She smiled at me.

"How sweet." She told me. "But I hope you don't mind a long ride. Peter just loves to push all the buttons."

"Oh come on! He's perfect!" I exclaimed, looking at Bree and Calla. But both girls stood their ground on the pig issue.

But since when have I ever asked permission to do anything?

 **Oliver's POV**

"I can't believe this is really happening." Skylar was so excited that she was practically bouncing in her seat. "I've waited so long to get my powers back."

"Well, my dear, your wait is over." I promised her. "Th serum!"

"It's not ready yet." Chase let me know. I nodded, though I was disappointed. So much for being smooth.

"I'm sorry. My assistant informs me there will be a slight delay." I turned back to Skylar. "Can I make you more comfortable?"

"I'm good." She told me. "So, how exactly is the serum going to work?"

"Well, uh, you see…the serum will be, uh-"

"Injected." Chase whispered helpfully.

"Injected into you, thus-" I paused, hoping he'd help me out again. He did.

"Activating."

"Activating the-"

"Cells."

"Cells-"

"Which are currently dormant but innately have superpowers." Chase hissed.

"Just trust me, Skylar. I know what I'm doing." I told her, deciding that it was just easier to say that than repeating everything Chase said.

"The serum is ready." Chase announced. He pulled out a very large syringe.

"Whoa." I murmured, gulping nervously as I eyed the large needle. "That-that's a big needle. Do you have anything in chewable form?"

"No," Chase looked at me, bemused, "but if you prefer, I can administer the injection."

"No way, Frankenstein. This is my beautiful monster." I snapped. I snatched the syringe away from him, but when I went to injected the serum into the back of Skylar's neck, my hands refused to steady. "Yeah, it's all you." I relented, sighing.

Chase rolled his eyes, then took the needle from me. He calmly injected the serum into Skylar's neck.

"Okay, there you go." Chase told her. Skylar smiled at him for a moment, then it faded to disappointment.

"I don't feel anything."

"It might take some time for the serum to kick in." He informed her. "Right Oliver?"

I didn't answer, still focused on that massive needle. "Oliver?" Skylar looked at me, concerned.

"Sorry. I'm a little woozy." I admitted. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." Skylar looked over me again. Chase walked past me, grabbed a couple of small, black, circular objects off the consol and came back over to Skylar and I.

"Alright, Skylar," He said as he placed one on either side of her neck. "Sit back, relax, and the medical software will wirelessly monitor your vitals."

"Yes, and you'll have your powers back in a matter of minutes." I promised her.

"Hours." Chase corrected.

"Hours!" I exclaimed over-enthusiastically in an attempt to cover up my mistake. "Hey, you want something to eat? I can whip something up in the kitchen."

"Yeah, sure." Skylar smiled at me. "That'd be great."

"Your wish is my command." I smiled charmingly at her before heading to the hyperlift. I landed on the main floor, and started towards the kitchen, where I found Dani standing over a bucket of disgusting, rotting food. "Uh, do I want to know?"

"Probably not." She replied.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Lunch is served!" Dani proclaimed, walking over to Petey and I, carrying a large bowl of 'food' she deemed appropriate for the pig. I grinned – the moment Bree and Calla had stepped upstairs, we'd snuck Petey into the penthouse, leaving the two older girls completely oblivious to what was going on. "Here you go Petey."

"And then, after you're done, I'll draw you a nice mud bath." I told the piglet as he began to chow down on the food Dani had prepared.

"Kaz? Dani?" Bree's voice called from upstairs as feet hit the stairs.

"Crap." Dani hissed. I grabbed one of the throw pillows and used it to hide Petey from view. Thank God he was small enough to hide behind it, and just in time too, as Calla and Bree came walking down the stairs at that moment.

"Hey, have you guys seen my purse?" Bree questioned, beginning to check under the couch.

"Or my wallet?" Calla added. She crossed her arms, looking peeved that she couldn't find it. Then she looked at the bowl of pig food. "What are you eating?"

"Oh, that." Should have thought to hide that too. "Uh, that is my lunch."

"Recycled vegetables." Dani added, trying to be helpful. Calla looked at us, not buying it for a moment, so I knew I had to do something to convince her.

I plucked a piece out of the bowl. "Is it a carrot? Is it a beet? Who knows?" I put it in my mouth, but I barely had to chew before I realized my mistake. "Oh, that's neither." I grimaced, slowly taking the piece from my mouth and putting it back in the bowl.

"You people are weird." Calla commented before beginning to search for her missing wallet. The moment she turned around, Petey let out a grunt.

"What was that?" Bree questioned, both girls turning around.

"What was what?" I questioned, playing dumb. Petey grunted again.

"That." Calla commented, looking between us suspiciously.

"Kaz was snoring." Dani lied. I shot her a look, but she shrugged and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Yes, uh, you guys aren't the most interesting people. Sorry." I told them apologetically.

"And you're not the most clever." Bree accused, grabbed the throw pillow and ripping it away from Petey.

"It's not what you're thinking." Dani told them quickly.

"You guys brought the pig here behind our backs?" Calla questioned.

"Okay, it's exactly what you're thinking." Dani admitted.

"Guys, I thought we agreed that bringing the pig here was a bad idea." Bree looked at us in exasperation.

"I know, but I told you, I've always wanted a pet pig." I insisted.

"And it's just one weekend." Dani added.

"No. I'm going to call Mrs. Ramsay right now and have her take him back." Calla decided, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"Too late. She already left to go on vacation to see her daughter." Dani informed them.

"Well, then, he's going to have to stay with someone else." Bree decided.

"I suppose we could ask the guy who lives downstairs. You know, the butcher." I emphasized the word. Bree and Calla exchanged looks. "He said he would watch him, until dinner."

"Okay, fine. He can stay." Calla relented.

"But only if you keep him away from us, and clean up any big messes he makes." Bree added.

"I think you mean pig messes." Dani joked. The other two girls glared at her. "Okay, fine. Deal."

Bree and Calla sighed, before heading off to check the kitchen for their missing items. "Nice job, Petey." Dani cooed, petting him. He squealed happily, rubbing his nose against her hand.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Look what your hero brought you." I announced, walking back into Mission Command with Chase so that we could check on how Skylar was doing. "Flowers for your superpowers. AHH!"

Chase and I jumped back, screaming, for when Skylar turned around to face us, she revealed that her face was covered in black webbing. "What's wrong?" She demanded, confused.

"Uh, nothing." I lied. "You're just shockingly beautiful. So beautiful that I have to look away."

I looked at Chase, expecting some sort of explanation, but he looked just as shocked as I was. "None of my powers have kicked I yet." Skylar complained, frowning. "I don't think the serum did anything."

"Oh, it did something." Chase assured her, trying to hide his panic. He pulled me aside. "This is bad."

"No shit, Sherlock." I retorted. "I mean, it'll be a little weird being the good-looking one in the relationship, but I'll get used to it."

"I'm serious." Chase insisted. "Her body is rejecting the serum. The coal must be deteriorating her organs from the inside out."

"So, are you telling me…" I stared at him. He looked at me grimly.

"We just killed her." He told me.

 **xxx**

"Oliver, something's wrong." Skylar moaned, rubbing her neck uncomfortably. I looked at her worriedly, noting that her skin was paler and the black webbing had grown larger. I spun around to look at Chase, who was desperately mixing chemicals.

"Why haven't you found the antidote yet? You're supposed to be perfect!" I snapped.

"You know what really helps in a high-pressure situation? You interrupting me every five seconds to ask me why I haven't found the antidote yet." Chase snapped irritably.

"Sorry, but have you?" I insisted. Chase looked at me, then shook his head. "I knew we shouldn't have given her coal."

"Coal? You gave me coal?!" Skylar demanded, overhearing the last bit. She stared at me in horror.

"Coal? Is that what you heard? Why would I inject you with your one true, very lethal, weakness? That's the craziest thing I ever heard!" I exclaimed. She looked at me, disbelief on her face. I pointed at Chase. "He did it."

"Okay, yes, I was the one who suggested shocking your system with coal," Chase admitted, giving me a glare, "but I've also said that you should never mix superpowers with science."

"When did you say that?" I demanded.

"Just now! Keep up!" He snapped. Suddenly, Skylar began to cough violently, releasing a cloud of black smoke. I stared at her, then looked back at Chase.

"I must have given her way too much." he decided, also looking at her. "Her body's rejecting it and expelling it as a vapor."

"Is it dangerous?" I asked, concerned. Skylar coughed again, and this time the smoke engulfed the vase of flowers I'd brought her. The smoke surrounded the flowers, before dissolving them.

"Just to living things." Chase gulped.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Petey! Petey!" Dani shouted, looking under the couch.

"Petey!" I called. "C'mon out! The butcher only wanted to borrow a cup of sugar!"

"Let me guess, you lost the pig." Calla observed, leaning against the wall corner on the stairs.

"No. We were playing a fame of Hide-and-Seek, and we underestimated his skills." Dani lied. I chuckled, amused, then looked back at Calla.

"Yeah, we lost the pig." I confirmed. She checked her watch.

"And in under three hours." She looked over her shoulder. "Bree! You owe me twenty bucks!"

"What? You guys lost the pig already?" Bree demanded, running down the stairs.

"Sorry." Dani apologized. Bree glared at us, then pulled a twenty out of her pocket, and handed it to a smirking Calla. "Oh, crap."

"What's up, baby?" I looked up. She was staring at the door to the veranda. The _open_ door. "Oh, crap."

We all raced onto the veranda, terrified that Petey had accidently fallen off the edge. Bree, Dani, and Calla all looked downwards, towards the street, while I looked up to the sky. "Petey!" I shouted.

"Kaz, why are you looking up?" Bree questioned, looking at me.

"You know that expression 'when pigs fly'?" I replied, not sparing her a glance as I searched the skies.

"Yeah, and do you know the more accurate expression 'when pigs plummet to the street'?" She countered. Oh, right. I looked back down.

"Petey?" Dani called, sounding a little heartbroken.

"Found him." Bree grabbed Dani's shoulder and turned the short-haired girl around. Petey was standing just inside the penthouse, a few feet away from the door, the now closed door. "Hey, Kaz, did you close the door?"

"Wasn't me." I replied.

"Petey must have done it." Dani reasoned.

"Don't be ridiculous. Pigs can't close doors." Calla rolled her eyes. Petey stepped onto Calla's IPad, and accidently pressed the button to lock the door. "But apparently, they can lock them."

"Stand back. I'll use my electrokinesis to break the glass." Dani offered.

"You can't." Calla stopped her. "Chase just reinforced all the windows with this new polymer we designed. It's designed to withstand missiles."

"So, you're saying we're stuck out here?" Bree demanded, looking at her.

"Unless we can get Petey to open the door, yeah." Calla sighed. We all looked towards the pig, then began to try and convince the barnyard animal to try and step back onto the IPad. After about five minutes, we got lucky – the front door to the penthouse opened up, and Mrs. Ramsay walked in.

"Oh, yay. Mrs. Ramsay's home early." Dani sighed in relief.

"How did she get in?" Calla murmured to Bree. The older girl shrugged, unsure.

"Hello!" Mrs. Ramsay sung, waving her fingers at us.

"Hi. We're-" Bree began to explain, but Mrs. Ramsay cut hero off.

"Goodbye!" She told us, suddenly looking grouchy. She swiped the IPad off the ground and placed it inside her oversized bag.

"I don't believe it." Calla stared at her, shocked. "She's a thief, and Petey is her muscle."

"I told you taking that pig in was a bad idea!" Bree snapped at us.

"Okay, but to be fair, you were worried about him making a mess, not engaging in a pig-people partnership to rob us!" I retorted.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Okay, using your force field to seal in the vapor was a good idea." I commented to Chase, looking at the translucent, blue sphere surrounding Skylar. He nodded, too focused on what he was doing to look away.

"It gives us enough time to figure out an antidote." He agreed. I looked behind me as Skylar began to cough even harder. I flinched as the gas began to seep through cracks in the force field.

"Uh, Chase?" I demanded, getting his attention. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the force field. "I thought you said your force field was impenetrable."

"It is." He insisted. "It's built to withstand lasers, bullets, even atomic explosions, not alien freak gas."

"I told you this was going to happen." I sighed. He frowned, confused.

"What? When did you tell me that?" He questioned.

"Just now! Keep up!" I snapped. More gas began to leak through the cracks.

"If that gas escapes, and spreads into the vents, it'll kill everyone in the building." Chase worried. I looked at him, startled.

"That's thousands of people." I realized, including my sister and the rest of the team. Chase nodded, a grim look set on his face.

"I think you know what has to be done." He told me. Before I could answer, he stepped away, then grabbed a long device, similar in design to a Sonic Screwdriver, off of the consol to the far left. He walked back over to me, and held the object out to me. After a moment, I looked at him.

"Dude, you're holding an electric toothbrush; I got nothing." I shrugged helplessly. He rolled his eyes.

"No, it's a sonic de-atomizer." He explained. "It'll stop the vapor at its source by sending a lethal blast of energy through her body."

"Lethal." I repeated. He wanted me to…to kill her?

"Yes." Chase confirmed. "The only way to stop the vapor from spreading is to destroy Skylar."

"You mean kill her." I corrected. Using the word destroy was just his way of not admitting to what he was asking me to do. "Absolutely not."

"Then I'll do it." He sighed. I snatched the device away from him before he could.

"No!" I shouted, shaking my head. "No. I'm not letting you end her life. That girl means everything to me. She's the reason I wake up in the morning. I can't imagine a life without her."

"Yeah? Well, the girl I love is sitting upstairs, and if that gas gets out, she'll die, just like everyone else in Davenport Tower." Chase snapped. "I'm sorry Oliver, I like Skylar as much as the next guy, but one life isn't worth a thousand."

Suddenly, a piece of Chase's force field broke off. It was a small piece, but a piece all the same. "Look, if you're not going to do it, then I'll take the space witch down."

"No!" I exclaimed, pulling away as he tried to rip the de-atomizer from my hands. Skylar stood up and held her hands out in front of her, and blasted a bolt of orange energy right at us. It missed Chase, but unfortunately for me, it hit me right in the chest, knocking me to the ground.

Skylar fell to her knees, winded, as the vapor disappeared. "Skylar?" Chase rushed over to her. He helped her up, then looked at her in disbelief when the black webbing disappeared and color flooded back into her cheeks. "You're okay."

"I'm not." I groaned, using the cyber desk to hoist myself up. "But that's cool. Focus on her."

"And you just used one of your superpowers." Chase added. Skylar stared at him, then looked down at her hands.

"I did? I did!" She exclaimed, beaming and jumping once in excitement.

"I guess all that vapor was just part of the healing process." Chase realized.

"So, then the serum worked." I smiled, limping over to them. Damn, that girl could pack a punch.

"It totally did." Skylar looked at us, her mouth open in a smile. "And it's because of Chase."

She hugged him for a moment, then pulled away and looked at him sharply. "Wait a second, space witch?"

"Skylar, I'm sorry, but I thought everyone was going to die-" He quickly tried to explain himself, but she cut him off.

"So you were going to sacrifice me to save everyone else. I get it. Saving people sometimes means sacrifices. Every hero knows that." She assured him. "But space witch?"

"I should go." Chase realized, backing a way. She nodded in agreement.

"Hey, I helped too." I reminded her, hoping for a hug. She nodded.

"No, you tried to take credit for his work." She reminded me. She put her hand on my shoulder. "But, you did try to stop him from destroying me, so thank you, Oliver."

Then, she kissed me on the cheek, and headed over to the hyperlift. "You coming?" She called over her shoulder, while I was still taking in the feel of her soft lips on my cheek. I smiled, then raced to follow her.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Oh, come on!" I complained, watching Mrs. Ramsay walk down the stairs from the bedrooms, carrying a stack of video games. "Not my video games! You're a monster!"

"Those are Ollie's." Dani offered.

"Oh. Never mind!" I called.

"Hey, Bree, what'd you do last night?" Bree asked, speaking to herself. "Oh, nothing. Just got fleeced by an old lady and her pig."

"Hey, look!" Calla exclaimed. "There's an open window. Ugh, too high to climb to."

"But Kaz and I can fly up there, sneak in, and surprise 'em." Dani grinned.

"Great, but what about us?" Bree questioned. I thought about it.

"Use your super speed and your super brains." I suggested.

"For what?" Bree demanded. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I was just trying to make you feel useful." I replied.

"How about I make my bionic kick useful?" Bree snapped.

 **Xxx**

"Shh." Dani hissed as we slowly crept down the stairs. The window had led right into Davenport's room, putting us on the second floor. When we finally got a clear view of the first floor, Mrs. Ramsay was just finishing zipping up her bag.

"Well, that about does it, Petey." She announced, smiling at the pig. "Let's head over to Big Sal's pawn shop on Fifth Street."

"You're not going anywhere." I declared, stepping into her line of vision. Dani followed behind, ready to use her powers if necessary.

"How'd you get in here?" Mrs. Ramsay demanded, confused.

"It was easy." Dani brushed off her question. "How'd you train a pig to steal?"

"I had to." The older woman retorted defensively. "The ferret wasn't pulling his weight."

"Well, it's over now. We're here to stop you and Petey." Dani told her.

"Speaking of whom, where is that adorable little porker?" I asked, looking around.

Suddenly, a small, fast moving mass hit me in the legs, knocking me over. Dani went to help me up, but retracted her hand quickly, the tips of her fingers red and bloody. "He bit me!" She exclaimed, aghast.

Petey walked out from behind the couch, carrying a weapon in his hands. I recognized it instantly – it was the Plasma Gun that Calla had been trying to improve this morning.

"Usually, I don't roll without my silencer, but this'll do." Mrs. Ramsay decided, taking the weapon from Petey and pointing it at us. But before she could fire, the fireplace wall behind us slid open, and Oliver, Skylar, and Chase walked out. Skylar and Chase immediately noticed the armed woman, though Oliver's attention was drawn to Petey.

"Oh, look! It's a pig. Kaz, you've always wanted a pig." Then he noticed Mrs. Ramsay. "AH! SHE'S GOT A GUN!'

"Look out!" Chase shouted as Mrs. Ramsay pushed the trigger. We all ducked, then Skylar threw one hand out and blasted Mrs. Ramsay with a ball of orange energy. The woman hit the ground, unconscious, as the blast of energy from Calla's weapon hit the ceiling.

"Are you guys okay?" Skylar asked, looking at us.

"Well, my faith in pigs is a bit shaken." Dani admitted. I nodded in agreement, then something occurred to me.

"Skylar, did you just…" I looked at her, amazed. She beamed.

"Yep. I got my powers back." She said it as if she still couldn't believe it for herself.

"Wow. Incredible." Dani smiled, happy for our friend. I patted Oliver on the shoulder.

"Good job, man. You finally did it." After so long, he finally managed to save her powers, just like he promised.

"Actually, it was Chase." Skylar admitted.

"Oh, that's gotta sting." I looked at my best friend apologetically. Though, I had the feeling that this wasn't something anyone would let him forget for a while. "

 **Oliver's POV**

"I can't believe I was duped by a barnyard animal." Kaz grumbled. "Again."

I patted his shoulder, amused. "The police officer said Mrs. Ramsay's been using the pig for over a year to break into dozens of high-end apartments." Chase told us, walking away from the uniformed officer. Officers had just taken Mrs. Ramsay into custody, and were bringing Petey to some farm where he could live with his own kind. "But now they're in custody, thanks to Skylar."

"Really, we should be thanking you." Kaz said to Chase, but he was looking at me for my reaction. "I mean, you're the one who got Skylar's powers back."

"We get it." I sighed irritably. "Chase is great. He's the best thing ever. Everyone loves Chase."

"Obviously." The older boy agreed. Skylar laughed lightly.

"You know, I always thought that if I got my powers back, I'd be using them to stop an asteroid or something, but I guess stopping a pig from stealing video games is a close second."

"We should go out for dinner to celebrate." I suggested, grinning.

"That's a great idea, Ollie." Dani complimented me. She smiled teasingly. "Are you sure it wasn't Chase's?"

"Actually, it was." I admitted.

"Let's go." Skylar encouraged us, heading for the door. As we reached the elevator, I frowned.

"Hey, are we forgetting anything?" I asked. I just couldn't shake this nagging feeling.

"Nah, I don't think so." Chase assured me. Five minutes later, just as we caught a taxi, he turned on his heel and ran back towards the building, muttering something about how Bree and Calla were going to kill him for leaving them behind.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: So, what did you guys think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? I really want to know! Anyway, here's the updating schedule for the next couple of weeks:**

 **January 30** **th** **– The Superhero Code**

 **February 6** **th** **– The Need for Speed**

 **February 13** **th** **– Follow the Leader**

 **Anyway, I'll see you all next week! Until then, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and remember to review!**


	4. The Superhero Code

**Kihonne: Hey everyone! I took another look at my schedule and realized that I need to change some things around to make it work, so as a result, you're all getting The Superhero Code a few days early! But before I can move directly onto the chapter, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Thanks! Honestly, I think it was just bad writing, or simply so the writers could fit in the 'space witch' line. I don't think they ever really took his personality into consideration for that scene, so obviously, things had to be changed for me.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Well, I'm glad that my stories are able to make your Tuesdays so amazing. I'm so glad you liked the chapter, especially the changes I made at the end, and yeah, those girls are going to be pissed. Anyway, thank you so much for your kind words, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you liked it! Yes, Skylar will clarify what powers she has received. As for Roman and Riker's family, let's just say we might see a few more members than in the original, though not in the way you'd expect (I will explain this at a later date, I assure you). As for Roman and Riker themselves, I'm not sure which form they're more powerful in. It's hard to say. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one just as much!**

 **LabGirl2001: Oh yeah, Chase is in trouble. I'm glad you liked it, especially the part where Chase tried to kill Skylar instead of Oliver. It just seemed so OOC for him, I really have no idea why the writers wrote that scene like that in the first place. And yes, Calla lost the privilege of experimenting on Skylars. That's probably one of my favorite jokes I've ever written. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Thanks so much! And I'm glad you liked that I changed that scene. You're right – the original didn't flow as well, and even though I know they wrote the scene like that for laughs, it also seemed so OOC for Oliver to try and kill Skylar himself. It was like the writers didn't really understand the characters they were writing for, and they were just assigning lines to characters without putting too much thought into it. Usually, I don't like to criticize the people who brought us such a wonderful couple of shows, but I honestly feel if they understood their characters a little more, there would have been a second season. Anyway, I don't know what's going on right now, but I'm so sorry that you're going through a rough time, I really hope things get better, and feel free to PM me if you need to talk about anything. I hope this chapter cheers you up a bit.**

 **EliteForce12: I'm glad you liked it so much. And yeah, a lot of people really liked the way I changed the scene. I think everyone agrees that it didn't make very much sense in the show for Oliver to try and kill the love of his life. And oh, the wedding. The wedding will be fun. The whole engagement will be fun too, what with bridesmaids and dresses and ring bearers and everything else I have planned. Thank you so much for your kind words, especially the comment about wanting me to become a professional writer, as that is my goal for when I leave university, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Darth Becky 726: I'm glad you liked the chapter so much! And don't worry about reading it a day or two after it's out – everyone gets busy, and sometimes the WIFI crashes, like it did for you. And well, I'm glad you're excited about the chapter! I hope you like it!**

 **GU3ST: Yay! Joe the Mohawk keyboard man! I have to say, that part of your review made my day :) Anyway, yes, The Power of Seven is here! I hope you liked it so far, and I hope you like the rest too. As for Alan, I suppose you'll just have to wait and find out.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway! On with the story!**

 **Kyle:** **Kihonne doesn't own Elite Force, Lab Rats, or Mighty Med. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Calla's POV**

"Hey, what are you working on?" Skylar questioned, sitting down next to me. I didn't look away from my laptop, instead continuing to type out the correct algorithms.

"Project. Davenport started selling my Paraguns and Plasma guns to the government, and apparently, they're a fan of it." I answered, pausing to look over my work. "I've been asked to design a new weapon for the police that can take a full-grown man down without physically injuring him. The Paragun can do it, but it doesn't always work, depending on the size of the person, and tranquilizers don't work fast enough, nor are they efficient, so I'm testing to see how well it would work if I combined my tech with basic tranquilizing serums."

"So, your job for Davenport is to be a weapon's designer?" The alien asked, a disapproving frown on her face. I shrugged.

"Sometimes. Most of the weapon designs are for my personal use, but I'll sometimes sell them. This'll be my first government contract." I smiled proudly – a government contract meant future funding for projects. "Plus, the new weapon will be non-lethal. If the police had access to more non-lethal weapons, they'd be able to safely take an armed criminal down without having to kill or physically injure him, which will lead to less police-related deaths. And less deaths is always a good thing."

"Government contract. You gonna be a millionaire?" She grinned. "What are you going to spend the money on?"

I glanced at her, smiling. "I have a couple of ideas." I admitted.

"Lunch is ready!" Oliver called. I glanced over my shoulder to see most of the team gathering in the dining room. It was Oliver's turn to prepare the food, which meant something healthy but delicious. We'd all been assigned days of the week to cook, though some people's cooking were more appreciated than others. Oliver turned out to be pretty good in a kitchen, so his meals were the most popular, though for some reason that I can't explain, everyone seemed to want to eat out when it was my turn to cook.

"I'll grab the plates." Chase offered as Skylar and I headed into the dining area.

"Oh, just like you grabbed the heart of the girl I love?" Oliver retorted. Chase sighed.

"Still not over me getting Skylar her powers back, huh?" My boyfriend guessed.

"Nope." Oliver denied. "And you'll notice your tomato slice is very thin."

"Wow, you showed him." Dani commented sarcastically.

"Yeah. And I also skimped on his lettuce!" Her brother added, not noticing the sarcasm.

"Oh no. Stop the madness." Dani laughed. Bree sighed and got up from the table.

"I'll get the plates." She insisted, walking past both the boys. She bent down to open the bottom cupboard in the island, but when she pulled the doors open, dozens of plate shards tumbled out, scattering across the floor. "What the heck? Why are they all broken?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Oliver chuckled sheepishly. "I was doing the dishes and I accidentally broke them with my super strength."

"That still doesn't answer why you put them back in the cupboard." I frowned.

"Because now we have service for 36 tiny people." He reasoned. I frowned, then looked at Dani. She shrugged.

"You ever seen the movie The Borrowers?" Was her only explanation. Skylar shrugged, and stepped past Bree to open the cupboard above the sink, where we kept a supply of paper plates and utensils.

"Ooh, lunch." Kaz grinned, walking into the kitchen. I frowned, looking at him. He seemed…neater than usual.

"Hey Kaz, I didn't smell you come in. Did you shower?" Bree commented bluntly. He took it well, smiling.

"Yeah, I had to. My younger brother, Kyle, is coming to visit." He explained. "And also the pen I was chewing on exploded all over my face."

"I didn't know you had a brother." I hummed, taking a paper plate from Skylar. He nodded.

"Five of them, actually." He admitted. I stared, caught off guard by the number. "But Kyle is my only younger brother, and growing up, we never really bonded, but now that he's older and I moved away, I think he missed me. This is our chance to finally become best buds."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "That must be him." Kaz declared, walking over to the front door and opening it. A short, shaggy-haired boy, probably in his early teens, raced in, carrying a backpack and a blue crate. "Kyle." Kaz grinned. His brother handed Kaz the backpack, dumped the crate on the ground, and raced past him.

"The bionic people!" The younger boy exclaimed, rushing over to Chase and Bree. "Hi. I'm Kyle."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're more excited to see them than me." Kaz accused, hurt.

"I am." Kyle assured him, throwing the words over his shoulder before turning back to Chase and Bree.

"Hey Kyle." Oliver greeted, amused. The younger boy smiled at him, then looked at Dani.

"Oh, right!" He raced back over to the blue crate, opened it up, then lifted a small, grey and white cat out. He carried the squirming animal back over to Dani. "Mom says we can't afford to keep feeding her. She eats a LOT."

"I know." Dani took the cat from him and cuddled it in her arms. "Hi Katy. You want to stay in the penthouse with us? Huh?"

"Dani!" Bree looked at her like she was crazy. The short-haired girl frowned.

"What? You said no more pigs, but you didn't say anything about cats." She defended herself.

"If it tries to rob us, I'm holding you responsible." I told her. She nodded.

"Seems reasonable." Dani agreed.

"So, anyway," Kyle continued, following Chase and I to the couch. "When my mom told me that Kaz had taken an internship with bionic heroes, I had to come here to meet you myself."

Bree smiled, touched, before grabbing Kyle's bag off the ground where Kaz dropped it. She headed upstairs while Kyle sat down next to Chase and I. "So, Kyle, now that you've met them, what do you say you and I get out of here?" Kaz suggested. "We can take our chances with some street meat."

"Kaz, not now. The grown-ups are talking." The younger boy brushed him off. I raised my hand to my mouth, pretending to couch in an attempt to disguise my laugh. "I can't believe I'm talking to Chase Davenport. You're my favorite bionic hero."

Chase leaned back on the couch, one arm around my shoulders and the other lying on the back of the couch. "I get that all the time." He smirked cockily. We all exchanged looks.

"Really? Because I've never heard that." Skylar told him. "Seriously. Never. Not one time."

"You're not even my favorite." I added, teasing him. He looked at me.

"Who's your favorite?" He asked, confused.

"Rio." I replied with a shrug. He was about to argue, but decided not to at the last minute.

"Okay, Kyle. Your room's all set." Bree announced, walking back downstairs. Kyle grinned at her gratefully.

"Thanks! Wait till my friends hear that Bionic Bree made my bed!" The kid exclaimed excitedly before rushing upstairs to check out his friends. Bree watched him go.

"Or, more accurately," she said, "Bionic Bree just tossed your bag into an empty room."

"Great." Kaz complained. "All this time, I thought my brother actually wanted to see me, but he was really just using me to get to you guys."

"Yeah, how about that?" Chase chuckled.

"Chase." I warned. He looked at me innocently.

"What? Can you blame him?" He defended himself. "Who'd want to hang out with the intern?"

"Yeah, why'd you tell your mom that anyway?" Oliver inquired, looking at Kaz.

"I was trying to come up with a cover story." Kaz explained. "It was either that, or the chauffer, and I didn't think I could pull off the hat. Wait…why am I even lying to him? I'm just going to go tell him that I'm a superhero."

"You can't." Skylar stopped him before he could. "The Superhero Code says that no hero can reveal his or her true identity to a Normo, thus exposing all heroes' existence to the general public."

"Can't I make an exception for my brother?" Kaz questioned, surprised.

"No." Skylar stood firm about her point. "People fear the unknown. If they found out that we have powers, they could turn against us."

"She's right." Oliver agreed.

"Okay, yeah, but what about those two?" Kaz pointed at Bree and Chase. "The whole world knows they're bionic, and they're pretty much celebrities."

"Yeah, now, but when they were first outed, everyone freaked." I told them.

"It was about a month before everyone calmed down enough for Mr. Davenport to even let us out of the house." Bree agreed. "And the only reason the only reason they came around was because of my likable charm and charisma."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." I commented, earning a glare from my friend.

"They came around because we were able to explain our abilities with science." Chase corrected. He looked at the others. "Unlike fire, ice, lightning, and ET over here."

Skylar stepped forward and he flinched back. "Please don't zap me."

"I'll take a zap." Oliver offered. Skylar looked at him. "Or anything at this point."

"Kyle's my brother." Kaz reminded everyone. "He won't tell anybody that I have superpowers."

"Yeah he will." "It's Kyle." Dani and Oliver both commented. Kaz gave them a sour look, but didn't argue with them.

"Sorry, Kaz, but no." Skylar refused. He sighed, defeating.

"Kaz, you don't need to be a superhero to bond with your little brother." Dani told him. "Just spend some time with him."

"I guess." He agreed reluctantly as Kyle sauntered back down the stairs.

"Well, Bree, I can see making beds isn't one of your bionic abilities." He commented, shaking his head. Bree forced a fake smile onto her face.

"He is so cute." She said sarcastically before looking at Kaz. "When is he leaving?"

"How about I give you the grand tour?" Kaz offered, smiling at Kyle. The younger boy thought about it for a moment.

"Can Chase come?" He asked. Kaz hesitated.

"Actually, I…okay." Chase agreed.

 **Kaz's POV**

Well, this kinda sucked. I was hoping to do what Dani said and spend time with my brother, but Chase just had to tag along.

"Consider yourself lucky, Kyle." Chase commented as we reached Mission Command. "You're the first outsider ever to see the heart of our bionic operation."

"Cool!" Kyle grinned.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, you'll have no pictures of your historic visit because Chase made this a camera-free zone." I pointed out. "That's right. Chase. Not me. Just to be clear, it was the bionic guy."

"But instead of a picture of Mission Command, how would you like a signed 8 X 10 of me?" Chase offered. "They're super glossy so my bionic smile really pops."

"Sweet." Kyle replied, excited. Chase pointed at a stack of pictures sitting on a shelf in the far corner.

"Go ahead, pick one out. There's like ten different pictures." He encouraged. Kyle ran over to check the pictures out, while I pulled Chase to the side.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"It's no biggie. There's like 500. Help yourself." He told me.

"No, I mean, why do you keep one-upping me in front of my brother?" I hissed. Chase looked surprise.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I mean, I can't help it if he thinks I'm awesome." He replied. I glared at him, and he sighed. He looked past me, towards Kyle, then back at me. "Look, I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening." This should be good.

"I need to run an errand, so if I you cover for me with Calla and the others, I'll leave you and Kyle alone for the rest of his time here. Deal?" He looked at me hopefully. I hesitated before replying.

"Why can't Calla know?" I asked.

"It's a long story, which I can't tell you yet." He told me apologetically. "But it's nothing bad, I swear."

"Alright, deal." I agreed. He grinned.

"Great. I should be back in a few hours. As for Kyle…just keep him in here and out of all the unauthorized areas."

"Okay." I agreed. Chase nodded, smiling, then left through one of the rock wall passage ways. I turned around to face my brother, who had picked a picture of Chase in his a white uniform out of the pile. "So, you ready to finish the rest of the tour?"

"Oh, you mean the guy who seems awesome at first, but then you get to know him, and you realize that he's actually a not-awesome fun killer?" I questioned. Kyle thought about it.

"Yeah, I get what you mean." He agreed. "His powers are cool, but he's kinda uptight. He's got all these rules…"

"Yes, yes he does." Finally, something I could use against Chase. "And you know what else? He thinks that you shouldn't go in the unauthorized areas because they're too dangerous."

"Too dangerous?" Kyle echoed, aghast. "Hello. I skateboard off people's roofs!"

"Exactly!" I agreed. "But you're in luck, because I have access to every room in this place."

"You do?" Kyle sounded surprised. "But you're just the intern."

"I'm not just the intern." I told him, smiling. "I'm running this operation."

"Yeah, right." Kyle scoffed. "You?"

"Yes me." I retorted, offended. "And I'm going to prove it to you right now by showing you the top secret weapons room, which is right through here."

I pressed a button on the cyber desk, and pointed to the rock wall to my left. Unfortunately, it was the one on my right that opened up. "Right through here." I corrected before leading him into the weapon's room.

 **Calla's POV**

"I'm going to kill him." I decided, shaking in anger as I stormed down the stairs. Dani, Skylar, and Bree all looked up as I entered the room, the former two having been playing a game of chess while the former watched TV. "I'm going to kill him."

"I don't know what this is about, but I'm making popcorn." Dani grinned before sneaking off to the kitchen.

"Okay, what's wrong? You look like you're homicidal." Bree observed.

"You're going to be too." I assured her. "Guess what I found in the washing machine."

"Ooh! I love this game!" Skylar grinned. "Uh…two buttons and a nickel."

"No." I pulled the objects out from behind my back. "My Paragun and Bree's tablet."

"What?" Bree demanded, jumping to her feet. I showed her the cracked screen of her tablet, then held up the now useless weapon. The hammer inside the gun was shattered, making the trigger completely useless. Not only was one of my very inventions, and favorite weapons, gone forever, but this would put my government project way behind schedule. "What were they doing in the washing machine?"

"I could take a guess." I commented. "Oliver. I bet he destroyed it with one of his powers, then tried to hide the evidence."

"Did he at least finish the load? I had a pair of jeans in there." Skylar muttered, frowning.

"You know what? That's it." Bree declared.

"Guys, come on. That doesn't sound like Ollie at all." Dani defended her brother. "And you have no proof."

"Doesn't matter. We're still going to kill him." Bree declared. She followed me out onto the veranda, where Oliver was reading, a plate of chocolate dipped bananas.

"Oliver!" I snapped, tearing the book out of his hands. He looked up, surprised.

"Hey! I was reading that!" He protested.

"We need to talk." I told him, placing the book on the table and crossing my arms. He straightened up in his seat, then looked at us in confusion.

"What's wrong?" He asked, pretending he didn't know.

"We know about my tablet and her Paragun. You broke them, then tried to hide it." Bree accused.

"What? No I didn't." He retorted, shaking his head.

"Oh, don't play dumb." I snapped. "You and your messed-up powers have been breaking stuff all over the house."

"Besides the plates, I didn't break anything!" Oliver exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"So I suppose my telescope just broke itself?" I questioned, gesturing to the mass of bronze pieces sitting by the edge of the veranda.

"Okay, yeah, that was me." He admitted. "But it wasn't my powers. I just get really excited when I see Mercury, and I was going to replace it for you when I got the chance."

"Look, it's one thing to accidently break something, but it's another thing to hide it, and then lie to us about it to our faces." Bree accused. Oliver glared at us.

"I didn't lie, and I'm actually getting better with my powers." He retorted defensively. I laughed once, amused.

"Oh yeah? Well, here's a reality check for you, Oliver." I said coolly. "You may think you're getting better, but the rest of us know that you're not."

He flinched, obviously hurt by my words, but to his credit, the younger boy didn't back down. "Says the only one of us who has never had to worry about losing control of your powers, because you don't have any."

"Well, I don't need any to be of use to this team. Can you say the same?" I asked, smirking. He raised his chin.

"You sure about that?" He questioned. I looked at him for a moment, then looked at Bree.

"I'm going for fro-yo, because if I stay here for another minute, I'm actually going to kill him." I declared, pushing past her and storming towards the door.

"Wait up!" Bree called, racing after me.

 **Kaz's POV**

"And here we are." I announced, leading Kyle into the weapon's room. Weapons were hanging on the wall, perfectly spaced apart, as if someone (Calla, definitely Calla) had spent hours placing them just right. At the far corner of the room was a large, heavy-duty computer, the same one I'd been specifically told not to touch. And just because she didn't believe me, Calla had put a metal fence around the thing. Seriously, that girl needed to chill.

"This place is awesome!" Kyle grinned. I smiled, proud.

"Yeah, well, just another day at the office for me, Kyle." I replied, leaning against the wall as he examined one of the weapons. "I guess I'm a lot cooler than you thought, huh?"

"Yeah, but to be fair, the bar was pretty low." He admitted. He looked at the computer. "What is this thing?"

"Oh, that's a mainframe." I replied. He frowned.

"What's a mainframe?" He asked.

"It's a complicated system of mains and frames." That was easier than saying that I had no idea.

"What does it do?" Kyle continued with his questions.

"Oh, sorry, that is top secret." I told him apologetically. He pouted.

"But I'm your brother, and I'm great with secrets." He insisted. "Kevin Stuart asked me not to tell anyone about his year-old back zit, and I only told, like, three people."

"Sorry buddy. No can do." Maybe Oliver and Dee were right about my brother not being able to keep a secret. "We should probably head back upstairs."

"Oh, maybe Chase is back!" Kyle grinned.

"What's a few more minutes?" I told him. He smiled, and went back to examining the weapons and the mainframe. I looked out the door, making sure that no one was coming. "Just try not to…" I trailed off when an alarm started to go off. I looked back to see Kyle standing past the metal gate, in front of the mainframe. "…touch anything."

" _Intruder detected."_ MISS announced. _"Lockdown commencing."_

"Kyle, you should probably get out of there." I didn't know what MISS meant by 'lockdown', but it didn't sound good. Kyle went to step out of the mainframe's cage, but the door slammed shut before he could.

" _Lockdown complete."_ MISS declared. _"Activating electrified perimeter."_

And just like that, the fence sprung to life, electricity running through it. Kyle grinned, amazed by the technology. "Cool!"

"Hey, uh, buddy? Quick question: when did you tell Mom that you'd be home?" I asked, chuckling nervously as I looked at the electrified fence. "Because right now, it's looking like never."

 **Xxx**

"Kaz, I can't squeeze through there." Kyle argued with me. I rolled my eyes, and gestured to the tiny area between the bottom of the electrified gate and the floor.

"C'mon! You've got, like, two inches here!" I insisted, just as Chase ran in.

"Why is that alarm going off?" He demanded, looking at us sharply. "Why are you in here? What did you do?"

"Well, I was showing Kyle around, and then all of a sudden, the gates locked, got all electric-y, and that thing starts blaring." I explained. "Don't you people have alarms that are a little less jarring? Perhaps some wind chimes or the gentle chirp of a cricket?"

"MISS, shut the alarm off." Chase sighed. The alarm muted immediately. Chase looked at me. "Why would you even let him in there?"

"To prove that I'm cooler than you." I reported. He sighed. "I think it's working."

"MISS, let him out. Kyle's not an intruder." Chase told the computer.

"Lockdown mode activated. Password required." MISS replied. Chase opened his mouth to reply, but I stopped him before he could waste his time.

"Kyle accidently touched something and changed the passwords. I already tried." I told him. He looked at me, exasperated.

"Why would he touch anything in there?" He demanded.

"He's my brother; we're touchers." I reminded him. "You know what? That's it. I'm getting Dani."

She could open the cage no problem as the electricity wouldn't affect her at all. "No." Chase hissed quietly, stopping me. "Kyle can't know about her powers, remember?"

"Then what do you propose?" I demanded.

"I'm going to have to use my bionics to get him out." The older boy decided. Kyle's eyes lit up at those words.

"Yes! Awesome!" He shouted gleefully.

"Oh, it's not that awesome!" I snapped. I grabbed a large set of bolt cutters off a nearby shelf. "What if I just used these steel bolt cutters to cut through the cage?"

"No." Chase shook his head quickly. "If you touch metal to the cage, the jolt will electrocute you in an instant. Let me try using my telekinesis to control them."

He raised one hand to his temple, and held the other out. The bolt cutters floated out of my hands, and up towards the gate.

"Whoa!" Kyle laughed in amazement.

"Stand back, Kyle." Chase warned. My brother nodded and backed up against the mainframe. Chase focused for a moment, then touched the bolt cutters to the cage. And that was when everything went wrong. A jolt of electricity raced through the bolt cutters and they rebounded, straight towards an unprepared Chase. They hit him in the head, knocking him down and out.

"Chase!" I exclaimed, rushing over to him.

"Is he okay?" Kyle demanded as I examined him.

"Yeah, I think so." I assured him. He did look okay, I thought, though judging by how hard those bolt cutters hit him, I could tell he was going to have one hell of a concussion. "But I have to say, for a bionic hero that was very disappointing."

 **Calla's POV**

"Apologize." Dani insisted, standing in front of me with her arms crossed.

"No thanks. Kinda busy trying to order parts for the Paragun I have to rebuild." I replied.

"You were kinda rude back there, and by kinda, I mean definitely." The younger girl insisted.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." I commented. Dani rolled her eyes.

"Bree?" She insisted, looking at my best friend. She didn't look up from her magazine, at least not at first. But when a loud explosion came from inside the penthouse, we all shot straight up.

"Damn it, Oliver." I muttered, following Bree and Dani inside.

"Oliver, I thought I told you no more-" Bree stopped herself, frowning in confusion when she saw Skylar kneeling by a suddenly broken and burnt coat rack, a jacket on the ground, burnt to a crisp. "Skylar?"

"Hi…" She smiled guiltily.

"Why is the coat rack smoking?" Dani questioned, confused. Skylar feigned confusion herself.

"Is it?" She looked down, and her eyes widened in an attempt to look surprised. "Oh, it is."

"And is that my leather jacket?" I demanded, recognizing the article of clothing. It had been a graduation gift from my brother.

"No." The alien girl lied.

"Give me." I demanded, holding out my hand. She sighed, stood up, and handed me my now ruined jacket. "This was my favorite." I whined, disappointed.

"Skylar, how could you do this?" Bree questioned, more shocked than angry.

"Okay, it was an accident." Skylar said quickly, her tone apologetic. "I just…I haven't quite mastered my powers since I got them back."

"So you burnt my jacket?" I questioned. She nodded, looking at her feet.

"And I broke your Paragun. And, Bree, your tablet. And I shredded your purse."

"My purse?" Bree demanded, eyes wide.

"Oh, you haven't found that yet?" Skylar asked, laughing sheepishly. She sighed. "Sorry."

"Great. And I took it all out on Oliver." Damn. I guess Dani was kinda right – I lashed out, and I could be cold sometimes.

"I'm really sorry." Skylar apologized again. She rubbed her arm, looking worried. "I'm just scared, guys. What if I never get my powers back to the way they used to be?"

"Skylar, you will." Dani promised her friend. Bree nodded.

"It's just gonna take a little bit of time to get used to them again." She agreed. "It's like riding a bike. Or whatever your alien equivalent is to riding a bike."

"That would be riding a bike." Skylar informed her, frowning.

"I'm trying to make a point. Don't start acting normal now." Bree snapped light-heartedly.

"Skylar, you only got some of your powers back, right?" I asked. She frowned, then nodded.

"Yeah. Super strength, super speed, invisibility, portal creation, and my energy blasts." She listed them. I nodded.

"Skylar, you mastered superpowers before the age of fifteen. How hard can it be to master five, right?" I asked. She nodded. "Right. Now, does anyone know where Oliver is?"

"You guys know where Oliver is?" I asked. Dani smirked.

"You gonna go apologize now?" She asked.

"Yes, Dani." That girl could ride my last nerves sometimes. Her smirk grew.

"Bedroom." She replied, spinning on her heel and walking away, as she now considered her duty as his sister done. I shook my head, and headed up the stairs to find the cryokinetic.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey, you okay?" I asked gently, helping Chase sit up. He groaned, one hand rubbing the slowly growing bump on his forehead.

"I taste metal." He moaned. I nodded.

"Must be from the voltage your body absorbed." I decided. He leaned over and spit a piece of metal out of his mouth. "Or it was a piece of the bolt cutter."

"Help!" I spun around at the sound of my brother's distressed voice. To my shock (pun not intended), the amount of electricity running through the gate had apparently doubled.

"When the bolt cutters hit the cage, it must have cause the voltage to surge." I realized.

"If you knew this wasn't safe, why would you let me in here?" Kyle demanded.

"You wanted to go in there!" I exclaimed.

"What do I know? I'm just a kid!" Kyle retorted. "I still sleep in a race car bed!"

"Mom and Dad never bought me a race car bed." I complained. I'd begged them for years, but they always insisted it was too expensive.

"You gotta know how to work them." My brother reasoned. He flinched back when the voltage surged again, running down the cage.

"Chase, we have to do something." I looked at the older boy. He nodded slowly.

"Right." He started to get up, but only made it a couple of inches before he slid back down to the ground, his face green.

"On second thought, I got this." I didn't want him to puke – chances are, he'd make me clean it up for getting us all into this trouble in the first place. "Don't worry, Kyle. I'll get you out of this."

"Please." He rolled his eyes. "If the guy with bionic couldn't help me, what chance do you have?"

"What chance do I have?" I echoed before smirking. "I'll show you what chance I have."

I raised my fist, lit it on fire, then blasted a wave of flames at the hinges of the metal door. I melted the top hinges, then the bottom ones, and watched as the door fell to the ground with a clatter. Kyle stared, shocked.

"So, what do you think of your big brother now, huh?" I asked. Kyle stared at me for a second more, before he began to scream. He ran straight out the door, still screaming. "Not exactly the response I was hoping for."

 **Calla's POV**

"Oliver?" I asked, knocking on the door to his and Kaz's room.

"Yeah." He called, letting Bree and I know that it was okay to come in. I walked into the room, smirking when I saw it. I hadn't checked out the guys room yet, though it seemed pretty cool. The dark green walls were covered in superhero posters, and to the left of the room, near the large window that overlooked the city, there was a TV and media center, with about every video game known to man, and a large couch that matched the décor. And right in the center of the room, a couple of feet away from their beds, there was a very cool foosball table.

Oliver was sitting on the couch, playing some war-like video game. "We should talk." Bree told him as we walked in, walking over. He paused the video game with a sigh.

"What? You going to accuse me of doing that?" He asked, gesturing to the ruined jacket in my hands. I shook my head.

"No, I know it wasn't you." I assured him. "Just like we know what happened to the rest of our stuff also wasn't your doing."

"Ha!" He snapped at us. "I told you I would never go around breaking people's stuff without telling them. What kind of jerk would do that?"

"Me." We looked over our shoulders to see Skylar and Dani standing in the doorway. The former looked at Oliver apologetically, guilt written all over her face.

"Oh." Oliver looked surprised for a moment, then shook his head to clear it. "Well, when you do it, it's adorable."

"It's taking me a while to get used to my powers again." Skylar explained. "Rather than admit it, I let them blame you for everything I destroyed. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Wow. It's just…the fact that you would throw me under the bus like that…" He grinned. "Yeah, we're all good here."

She smiled gratefully and hugged him.

"Okay. Now things can finally get back to normal around here." Bree sighed. Oliver turned around to face us.

"Not so fast." He told us. "I wish I could forgive you two so easily, but you attacked my character and accused me of lying. That's something I can never forgive."

As dramatic as his sister, I see. I opened my mouth to suggest a fix, but Bree beat me to it. "Not even if I set up daily one-on-one training sessions for you and Skylar to perfect your powers together?" She questioned, unknowingly stealing my idea.

"Bring it in, old friend." Oliver opened his arms and hugged her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Skylar stopped them. "Why should I have to train with Oliver every day to pay for something you did?"

"Would you rather pay for all the expensive things of ours that you ruined?" Bree challenged.

"Right." Skylar agreed, rubbing the back of her head. "Seems fair."

"Now, what about you, Calla?" Oliver questioned, looking at me expectantly. I crossed my arms, frowning at him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" I questioned. Oliver looked past me.

"Dee? Any suggestions?" He inquired.

"Oh, I know." Dani smirked. "Calla has to give up her cooking day to you permanently."

"Agreed." Oliver nodded. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, c'mon. My cooking's not that bad." I insisted.

"Yes, it is." Skylar, Bree, Oliver, and Dani all replied at once. Before I could object, we heard a very long, very panicked scream come from the main floor. We all exchanged looks, then raced downstairs to find what was going on. Bree caught Kyle by the shoulders as we hit the main floor, the poor kid completely freaking out for some reason.

"Whoa, Kyle!" Dani exclaimed as Bree released the boy. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" He repeated, staring at us with wide eyes. "My brother just shot fire out of his hand."

We all looked at each other, silently cursing Kaz. "Kyle, don't freak out."

"It's a little late for that." The younger boy retorted as Kaz and Chase walked out of the hyperlift.

"Can someone explain to me why he thinks he saw something that he clearly didn't see?" Skylar questioned, looking at Chase. He shrugged, wincing.

"I would, but after a few thousand volts of electricity passes through you, your short-term memory kind of…" He paused, then looked at me. "What's the word for 'goes'?"

"Kaz, what did you do?" I questioned, stepping up to Chase to get a closer look at a nasty looking bump on his forehead.

"My brother locked himself in the mainframe cage. I had to use one of my powers to break him out." Kaz explained. Kyle paused.

"Wait, one of your powers? How many do you have?" He inquired curiously.

"Several." Kaz replied instantly. Dani snorted in amusement.

"Honey, you have, like, two." She pointed out. Oliver pulled everyone, aside from Kyle, off to the side.

"Great, Kaz. Now he thinks you're a superhero." He hissed.

"What was I supposed to do?" Kaz retorted. "He was in trouble, and Chase had already knocked himself out with a pair of bolt cutters. I suppose I have to tell him everything now."

"What about the superhero code?" Oliver questioned, frowning.

"I have no choice. I'm sorry." Kaz turned to his brother. "Kyle, I've been keeping a really big secret from you and the rest of the world. I'm not supposed to tell you, because it could expose a lot of people and put them in danger, but you're my brother and I think it's right for you to know the truth."

"Oh, I know the truth." Kyle assured him. He pointed at Chase, Bree, and I accusingly. "These bionic freaks abducted you and filled you with machine parts to turn you into one of them!"

We all exchanged looks. Well, when someone supplies you with the perfect lie, you shouldn't waste it. "Absolutely." "Totally." "That's exactly what happened." We all replied.

"Technically, technically, I asked them for the bionics," Kaz lied, making it clear that no felonies had been committed…well, except for human experimentation, but I doubted Kyle would care about that, "so that I could help them save lives around the world."

"Right." I agreed, nodding.

"But congratulations! You now have a bionic brother!" Kaz added, grinning at Kyle. "Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kyle shrugged. Kaz's face fell at the disappointment in the kid's tone. "I mean, it's cool and all, but it'd be a lot cooler if you were a superhero."

"Superhero." Kaz repeated. He turned to us. "Do you hear this guy? Seriously, do you hear this guy?"

Dani laughed lightly at the frustration in Kaz's voice, taking his hand.

 **xxx**

The rest of the weekend went by pretty smoothly. The boys watched some movies, Kyle got to see a bit of Kaz's training, and Chase recovered pretty quickly from his concussion. I, meanwhile, fixed the passwords in MISS' system, and added some child-proof locks to the system so it couldn't be screwed with by accident again.

"That was the best weekend ever." Kyle grinned as Kaz walked him to the front door. The rest of us were hanging in the kitchen, sitting around the island.

"Well, as long as you promise not to tell anyone about my bionic secret, you can come back and visit whenever you want." His brother told him. The kid's eyes lit up.

"Really?" He questioned, looking at everyone else for confirmation. When we all nodded, albeit some of the nods were reluctant, he beamed. "Thanks! So, when do I get my bionics?"

"Oh, you know, I asked Chase, and he said no." Kaz replied. Kyle looked disappointed, but it didn't last for long as Kaz walked the kid outside to help the kid catch a cab.

"I have to say, it was pretty smart of Kaz to pretend he was bionic." Chase mentioned. I nodded.

"Yeah. You should all say that you're bionic when using your powers in public. We won't have to hide as much, but it'll still keep the real source of your powers hidden from the public." I advised Skylar, Dani, and Oliver.

"Alrighty then." Oliver grinned. "I guess from now on, we're bionic."

Oliver punched the air downwards to emphasize how cool he thought it was, but accidently shot a blast of ice at Bree's feet, freezing them to the ground. "Seriously, Oliver? These are my new boots!" She protested, annoyed.

"Sorry." He apologized. Bree nodded, then shrugged.

"Eh, it's okay. Skylar was going to ruin them anyway." She admitted. Skylar threw her hands up into the air, frustrated, and walked away, much to all of our amusement.

 **Kihonne: Alright, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? In between? Seriously people, reviews are what make me tick! And write, while we're on the topic. Anyway, earlier I mentioned a scheduling conflict. See, I made the mistake of thinking I only had 1 mid-term next week. I actually have 3, and probably won't have time to do much writing next week. However, I managed to get a fair bit of writing done this week, so I'm almost done The Need for Speed. Anyway, this is the new update schedule:**

 **Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **January 30** **th** **: The Need for Speed**

 **February 13** **th** **: Follow the Leader**

 **February 20** **th** **: The List**

 **Yes, that leaves a 2-week gap between chapters, but as I've always said, my education comes first. And besides, I've got a bit of a surprise in the next chapter that should keep people satisfied for a little while. Anyway, I'll see you all in a few days! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	5. The Need for Speed

**Kihonne: Alright, how was everyone's week? Good, I hope. Anyway, I've brought my newest chapter, The Need for Speed, and I've got a little surprise in it for you. But before we move onto the chapter, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Eliteforce12: I'm glad you liked it! As for Chase, I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **GU3ST: Thanks! Enjoy!**

 **Layla347: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Well, I'm really glad you liked it. Now, Jaden…for the moment, he will only make the rare appearance. The story is called the Power of Seven, since there are only seven members of the Elite Force, and seven characters that make regular appearances. However, if something should happen to one of those characters (if they were killed/seriously injured/had to leave for some reason), Jaden would be the one to replace them as part of the team, and at that point he would make regular appearances. Anyway, thanks for the review and the well-wishes, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Darth Becky 726: I think most people have a good guess as to what it is. I can't actually tell you what Chase was doing, or whether he completed his errand before being called back by MISS, but you will find out in this chapter. Anyway, thanks for the good luck wish, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: Thank you so much, and I'm glad you liked the joke. It'll come up a few more times in the future ;) I think you might be right about IT happening, if the IT is what I think it is. I think you'll right enjoy all of it. And yes, school is evil! The funny thing is, mid-terms don't usually start for a couple of weeks, but each of my professors thought it would be helpful to do the midterm early, so we wouldn't be slammed with one after another. I guess they didn't happen to mention this to each other, because it certainly didn't work out for me. Though, hopefully it won't be so bad. I mean, it's English, Philosophy, and Creative Writing. Can't be that hard, right? (I say hopefully). I am so sorry for your loss. I know how hard it can be around holidays and birthdays when you've lost a loved one. I wish you and your family the best, and I sincerely hope things get easier for you. And thank you so much for the offer to talk, I really appreciate it. Now, in hopes of lightening your mood, if even for a little, I really hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: Well, I guess you'll have to read to find out what the surprise is. I figured Dani and Oliver would know Kyle, or at least most of Kaz's siblings since they've been friends since they were four, so I thought it would be a nice addition. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: That's a good guess. I'm afraid, though, you'll have to read to find out if it was right or not. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and thanks for wishing me luck!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Thanks, for both the compliment and the well wishes.**

 **Avaoreo1112: I'm really glad you liked it! I thought electrokinesis was a good fit for her too – lightning is dangerous and most unpredictable, and that's the kind of person Dani has the potential to be. And don't worry, I'm not rushing – I actually finished this chapter a couple of nights ago. I could have kept posting at the regular time, I just needed to have this story far from my mind when I do my midterms. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Oliver McFly: I'm sorry to hear that. However, Oliver didn't actually return Skylar's powers, Chase did, and I wasn't going to have her thank him for something he didn't do. I hope you like this chapter better.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Tony: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Lab Rats: Elite Force. She only owns her OCs, and anything else that you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"So, where's Chase taking you?" Skylar asked, leaning on the kitchen island. The boys were all outside on the veranda, working on their powers, while we sat inside, chatting. Calla and I were on the inside of the island, facing the others and the rest of the penthouse, while Bree and Skylar sat in a way that gave them a good view of city through the glass wall.

"I have no idea." Calla shrugged, picking an almond out of our snack bowl. She twisted it around in her fingers, then shrugged. "He just said he was taking me out for dinner tomorrow night."

"What's the occasion?" Bree inquired. Once again, Calla shrugged.

"Beats me. But hey, free dinner." We all laughed. I stopped, mid-laugh, though when the front door slowly opened up. A tall boy, a little older than Calla and Bree, stepped inside quietly, trying not to make any noise. He grinned at Calla and I, then held one finger in front of his lips, motioning for us to be silent.

I opened my mouth to address him – because, hello, random stranger walks into my home, I'm not going to keep quiet about it – but Calla spoke up first. "Hey, Skylar, Dani, have you guys ever heard the story of the time we threw a birthday party for Bree's stepbrother, but forgot to invite him?"

"No." Skylar frowned, noticing the strangely excited smile on Calla's face.

"Oh, you need to. Come on, Chase is the best at telling it." She pushed me gently off my chair, then motioned for Skylar to follow us outside. "We'll be back in one minutes, Bree."

"…Okay?" The girl replied, confused. Calla didn't let Skylar or I say anything until we were outside.

"Hey, what's going on?" Chase asked, smiling when he saw us.

"Who was that?" I ignored him, turning to Calla.

"Who?" Kaz questioned.

"Some guy just walked into the penthouse, and Calla doesn't seem to mind." I commented. Suddenly, we heard Bree scream.

"OH MY GOD!" She shrieked. Chase looked alarmed, but Calla laughed.

"It seems my brother's come for a visit." She told him, an amused smirk on her lips.

"Jaden's here? Why?" Chase frowned.

"I don't know, but if I had to guess, it has something to do with the very, very happy speedster inside." Calla chuckled in amusement.

 **Xxx**

We waited about two minutes, then walked in on the two love birds. They were both on the couch, Bree pinning the older boy to the cushions. "Whoa." Ollie commented, as they made out on the couch. They broke apart when they heard us come in, Bree rolling off her boyfriend onto the cushions, a smile on her face.

"You said a minute!" She complained. The boy, Jaden, chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It's been three." Skylar informed them. She smiled at Jaden. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiled at her. The front door opened up again, and this time a short, rough-looking, spiky haired man walked in, dragging a couple of suit cased in with him.

"Thanks for the help with the suitcases." He grumbled to Jaden, who laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"Douglas, it's good to see you." Douglas went to hug the man. I looked between the two.

" _Hey, Ollie. They look alike to you?"_ I glanced at my brother. He paused for a moment, then nodded at me.

" _I think Bree mentioned that Davenport's their adoptive father. Maybe he's the biological one?"_ He guessed.

"Evil Uncle Dougy." Calla smiled, sitting on the arm of the couch. He nodded at her.

"Kid." He greeted.

"Guys, this is our Uncle Douglas." Chase introduced him to us. "Well, technically, he's our father."

" _Told you."_ Ollie teased.

"Yeah, as if we'd ever call him that." Bree scoffed.

"Wait, you're the guy who tried to kill them." Kaz accused. Douglas nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"You too, Oliver." Douglas shook his hand. "Though, you're not nearly as scrawny as Chase said you were."

"That's because I'm Oliver." Ollie raised his hand. Douglas observed him for a moment, then nodded.

"Makes more sense." He agreed. Ollie looked down at his ribs, a little embarrassed.

"Hi. I'm Dani. You're the guy who created the evil robot, right?" I asked.

"Yes, Marcus. Though technically he was an android." He shook my hand. "Why?"

"Just curious." I replied with a shrug.

"I'm Skylar." Skylar reached forward to shake his hand next. He shook it, then paused.

"Ah, the alien girl." He nodded. "I have to admit, I'm kinda disappointed. I was expecting you to have three heads or something."

"Don't be silly." Skylar rolled her eyes. "You shed the other two when you're a kid, and leave money under your pillow for the head fairy."

We all stared at her for that. "But what do you do with the heads?" I asked, confused.

"You don't want to know." Skylar assured me.

"Oh, good news. Skylar just got her powers back." Chase announced. Douglas looked at her, surprised, but pleased with the news.

"And guess who got them back for her." Kaz sang, smirking at my brother.

"Okay, it was me." Chase bragged.

"Okay, a little Elite Force gossip." Bree told Douglas. "Scrawny is jelly because Bookworm got Alien her powers back."

"Okay, aliens I can believe, but someone jealous of Chase?" Douglas shook his head. "Unfathomable."

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Calla inquired, sitting down on the couch next to Jaden. "Not that I'm complaining. It's Dani's turn to cook, and she refuses to make anything but rabbit food."

"Just because it doesn't have meat in it, doesn't mean it's rabbit food." I told her.

"That is a matter of opinion." The older girl retorted, shaking her head at me.

"Well, I'll be staying here with you while my brother's gone." Douglas replied. "And Jaden tagged along because of Bree."

"I'm going back after the weekend, though." Jaden added. He kissed Bree on the cheek. "Sorry, gorgeous."

"Wait, Davenport's gone?' I asked. "Huh, forgot he was here in the first place."

"Where is Mr. Davenport, anyway?" Skylar questioned. "Not that I'm concerned or anything. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we could use a break."

"He wanted to be with Tasha when the baby comes. He'll be checking in, but only occasionally." Douglas explained.

"Have they settled on a name yet?" Bree asked hopefully.

"Nah. In fact, they're letting the Academy decide. There's a giant voting box. It's either going to be Maya, Kira, or Naomi. Personally, I like Maya, but who knows which will win."

"Ten bucks says he jams a bionic chip into her neck before she's even named." Calla whispered to her brother.

"You're on." He agreed, bumping fists with her. Douglas smirked.

"Anyway, my first order of business while I'm here is to design the team's new mission suits." He continued.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Calla stood up. "No you're not. I'm designing them – I've already started, in fact."

"Please, I think that we can all agree that the guy who created them," he gestured to Chase and Bree, "is much more capable of creating mission suits."

"Yes, but Calla's been designing our mission suits for years." Chase pointed out, taking his girlfriend's side.

"Ad you all looked like badly-dressed acrobats for a year." Douglas retorted.

"I was, like, fourteen! Cut me some slack." Calla rolled her eyes.

"I'd like to design my own superhero costume." I commented.

"No one cares, Sparky." Calla told me. "This is between me and him."

"Well, I choose Douglas' side." Ollie commented.

"Me too." I agreed, smirking.

"Well, then we're kidnapping Kaz." Calla declared, grabbing my boyfriend by the arm. Kaz looked up in surprise.

"You are?" He asked. She nodded, a fierce look on her face.

"We are." She declared. He shrugged.

"Okay." He looked at Douglas. "Might as well have costumes made by someone who doesn't look like a hipster porcupine."

"Okay, I see how it is." Douglas nodded, looking at us. "I guess Oliver, Dani, and I will work on my version of the suit while you three spin your wheels making something we'll never use."

"That's right, you will!" Kaz grinned, not really understanding what Douglas meant. I laughed, amused.

"Yeah, you will." I agreed, shaking my head. Kaz nodded again, then frowned and looked at Calla and Chase.

"Wait, what are we willing?" He questioned. Calla rolled her eyes and looked at Chase. He smirked.

"We are going to make the post powerful, intimidating, take-no-prisoners mission suits ever!" He declared. He looked directly at Kaz. "It's dress-up time, and you just became my doll."

"Well, this should end well." Skylar murmured to Bree and Jaden, who were watching the exchange in amusement.

 **Calla's POV**

"What are you doing?" I looked up from my designs to see Chase looking at Kaz. I was putting the finishing touches on the designs while Chase got Kaz' measurements for the suit.

"I want you to make my mission suit breathable." Kaz explained with a grin. "I'm a wiggler."

"Well, stand still. These measurements have to be exact." Chase told him sternly, pulling another pin out of his pincushion.

"Ow!" Kaz exclaimed, flinching as Chase tried to put another pin in the bland clothing Kaz was wearing. "Careful; those pins are sharp."

"Would you relax? I know what I'm doing." Chase insisted. A moment later, I heard another yelp.

"Ouch!" Kaz leapt off the stool he'd been standing on. Chase laughed.

"That one was all me." He admitted, chuckling. I giggled lightly, watching the two.

"Stay away from me." Kaz told him, backing up. He started to run. "Stay away from me!"

"Kaz, come back!" I called, but he continued running, straight onto the veranda. Chase chuckled, sitting down on the couch next to me. I smiled, though a little confused. "You're in a really good mood today."

"Am I?" He feigned innocence as he took my hand. I nodded, still smiling.

"Yeah. What gives?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Nothing. Just having a nice day." He replied. He got up and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm going to go find Kaz."

 **Jaden's POV**

"So, you guys really managed to stop Calla from making dinner? Nice." I was talking to Skylar, the only other person around, while Bree took some phone call in the hall. "You know she made my birthday cake every year until I was fourteen."

"Poor you." Skylar sympathized. I nodded.

"And my Mom made me pretend to like it, especially when she was little." I added. You know, for an alien, Skylar was actually a pretty cool girl. Go figure. She went to make a comment, when there was a sudden shriek from the hall and Bree raced in, looking like Christmas had come early, and all the gifts were for her. "Good news, I guess?"

"I just got a call from the head of the biggest shoe company in the world," she spoke so fast the words almost seemed to tumble over each other, "and you're never going to believe what they just offered me!"

"Free shoes?" I guessed.

"Ooh. I wonder if they have anything for girls with fourteen toes…" Skylar thought aloud. Bree and I both stared at her.

"You really have fourteen toes?" Bree questioned. Skylar nodded.

"Duh. I AM an alien." She pointed at her feet. "Eight on this foot and six on the other."

"Alrighty then…" I looked back at my girlfriend. "Continue."

"They're giving me my own sneaker line." Bree grinned. "They're called Breezers."

"Congratulations, beautiful!" I smiled, proud of her. She really deserved this.

"I don't get it." Skylar frowned.

"Well, my name is Bree, and they just added a 'zers' at the end." Bree explained.

"No, I get the bad pun." The alien girl assured her. "I mean, why are they giving you your own shoe?"

"Because of my super speed." Bree replied. "They're going to put me in ads, commercials, billboards…when you see Bree, you'll think feet."

Well, not exactly what I would be thinking, but still, good for her.

"So, you're actually going to do it?" Skylar questioned, sounding skeptical. I frowned, confused why she didn't appear to be happy for Bree. "I didn't think heroes did stuff like that."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Sell out." She replied. Bree looked at her, offended.

"I'm not selling out!" She snapped. "It's just nice to be recognized for my unique ability."

"Well, I have super speed too, but I never needed credit for it." Skylar shrugged and got off the couch. "I guess the gift of saving people has always been enough for me. But if this is something you need, you go girl."

I sighed as I watched my calm, relaxing weekend with Bree fly out the window with those words. "I don't need it." Bree insisted defensively.

"O-kay." Skylar replied, obviously not believing her.

"I don't." Bree insisted.

"Fine. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree." Skylar reasoned.

"I guess we will." Bree agreed, peeved.

"Okay then." Skylar started to walk away, but not without adding, "Sally Sellout."

"Molly Martian-claw." Bree muttered, just loud enough for Skylar to hear. The alien walked away, choosing not to engage her any longer, as my girlfriend sat down next to me. I pulled her legs onto my lap.

"I'm not a sellout." She told me.

"I know." I agreed.

"I'm not." She insisted.

"And I believe you." I assured her. I sighed – thanks to Skylar, it would probably be like this all weekend.

 **Dani's POV**

"Okay, kids, let's start designing this suit." Douglas announced as we walked into Mission Command.

"Cool, so I was thinking-" Ollie began, but Douglas cut him off with a chuckle.

"That's cute. You think you're actually going to be designing it." He laughed.

"What? We've been dreaming about having my own superhero suit since we were little kids." I told him. "Now that we finally have powers, this is our chance."

Douglas sighed. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

"Laser Rockets." I grinned.

"Yeah…no. Oliver?" He looked at my brother. "Do you have anything better?"

"You ready for this?" Ollie grinned. "Elbow swords!"

"No. Guys, Calla's the only one who might need gadgets in her suit, because she doesn't have super powers." Douglas told us sternly. "All you guys need are simple, functional suits."

Suddenly, the hyperlift activated. We looked towards the entrance to see Kaz, Calla, and Chase appear on our floor. Kaz was wearing some pretty heavy duty gear over his suit. "Guys! Check it out! Calla and Chase tricked out my suit with smoke jets."

"Why?" Douglas asked the obvious question.

"For dramatic…" Kaz trailed off. Calla pressed a button on his suit and the smoke jets activated, surrounding Kaz in a thick cloud of smoke. When the smoke evaporated, he was nowhere to be found.

"Exits!" Chase finished his sentence for him, grinning happily.

"That was so awesome!" I exclaimed grinning.

"No, it wasn't." Douglas snapped.

"Who's side are you on?" Ollie questioned. I snapped my fingers at him.

"Right." I nodded before turning back to Calla and Chase. "That was not awesome."

"Oh, don't worry guys. There's nothing wrong with finishing second." Calla assured us, looping her arm around Chase's.

"We, uh, don't have any smoke jets, so we're just gonna leave." Chase told us, leading Calla out. Once they were gone, Douglas looked at us.

"So laser rockets and elbow swords, huh?" He hummed thoughtfully.

 **Jaden's POV**

"I can't believe you're getting your own commercial." I shook my head in amazement. We were at the park, where the producer, Tony McClain, was prepping to set my girl's first commercial. "Bree, this is amazing."

"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." She grumbled.

"Hey, chin up. Your sneakers are really cute." They weren't really – the basic design was okay, but would probably fall apart after a couple of months, and the color scheme was too bold, with very noticeable pink and purple streaks across the sides – but Bree loved them, so I figured she'd appreciate the comment.

"Skylar?" Bree responded, looking past me. I turned to see Skylar walking up to us, a determined look on the alien's face. Bree smiled widely when she saw her friend. "I can't believe you came to support my commercial!"

"I didn't." Skylar replied, disappointing her. "I came here to talk you out of it."

"Not going to work." Bree told her. "Now, step aside so everyone can see my Breezers!"

"Those are the ugliest shoes I've ever seen." Skylar commented, looking at them.

"Skylar!" I snapped defensively.

"No, she's right." Bree told me. "But they're mine!"

"Hey, there's Tony." I told her. The producer with the charming smile, the one he kept giving my girlfriend, came over to us.

"There's our Bree." He smiled at her. "Ready to shoot your first commercial."

"I sure am." Bree assured him, with a pointed look at Skylar.

"Great." He nodded. "Let's get you into hair and make-up."

Bree frowned at him, looking self-conscious. "I already went."

"Oh." Tony blanched, realizing his mistake. Then, he put that fake smile back on his face. "Isn't this exciting? All these people are here just to watch you run!" Bree grinned. "And when they do, those shoes are going to fly right off the shelves."

"And right into the trash." Skylar commented. Tony noticed her for the first time.

"Excuse me, miss. We're about to start shooting, so fans need to be on that side of the camera." He told her, pointing towards a large group of people. "You, too, man."

"Oh, I'm not a fan." Skylar told him. Bree sent her a glare.

"Then are you the hair and make-up lady?" He glanced at Bree, then back at Skylar. "Because, if so, we need to talk."

 **Calla's POV**

"Did you see their faces when your smoke jets went off?" I grinned proudly, sitting on top of the kitchen island.

"Actually, I haven't really seen anything since my smoke jets went off." Kaz admitted, rubbing his eyes, then continuing to stare at a random spot on the wall. I waved my hand in front of his face to test if he was telling the truth, but he didn't react in the slightest.

"Dude, let's focus on what's important." Chase told him. "Beating Douglas. We already won the battle, now we just have to win the war."

"You know, I never truly appreciated how overdramatic you can be until this moment." I said thoughtfully. Chase smirked. "Anyway, we're going to have to give Kaz something more to defeat them."

"Laser-guided ankle rockets!" Chase proclaimed dramatically. Kaz sighed.

"I was really hoping you were going to say soothing eyedrops." He confided in us. I patted his shoulder.

"You can have some of those too." I assured him.

 **Jaden's POV**

"You know, you could be a little nicer to Bree." I mentioned to Skylar. "She's really proud of this."

"If she's proud of being a sellout, good for her." Skylar retorted, arms crossed as we watched Bree prepare for her commercial.

"Okay, here's the plan." I could hear Tony say to her, "Take a quick 20-mile run around the city, then land back here on your mark. And most importantly, don't forget to show us how much you love your Breezers."

"Yeah, got it." Bree nodded enthusiastically. Tony walked over to stand besides the camera, a few feet away from us.

"Alright people! Let's do this." He announced. He paused for a moment to let Bree ready herself, then "…And action!"

"Time to take my Breezers for a 20-mile run." Bree smiled at the camera, a natural talent for acting taking over. "Ready, set…" She disappeared for a brief moment as she sped off to zip around the city, then reappeared, this time holding an umbrella, "And I'm back!" She announced. "Oh, and by the way, it's raining on the other side of town, which isn't a problem, thanks to the great traction on my Breezers."

"Whoo!" I shouted as the crowd burst into applause. Bree bowed a few times, grinning widely. "Thank you, thank you!"

"That was fantastic. They love you! You're going to sell a ton of these things." Tony grinned, rolling his hand to signal for her to do more. "Keep going, keep going."

"No problem." Bree nodded, thinking fast. "I-I'll do it again, but this time, backwards."

The crowd began to applaud harder and cheer louder. She grinned, then turned around and sped backwards. Suddenly, she stumbled, falling into the air as she tripped over a large rock.

"Look out!" Skylar shouted, speeding forward at a speed that would make Bree jealous. She grabbed a baby carriage that was in Bree's way, and sped it to safety, a mere second before my girlfriend came crashing to the ground.

"Babe." I rushed over to her, helping her up. I winced when I saw her hands, scraped and bleeding. "Ouch."

"It's fine." She winced, rubbing them on her pants.

"We should wash those off." I told her as Tony ran over to us.

"What just happened?" He demanded, shocked.

"I don't know." Bree admitted. "I was running backwards, and must have tripped."

"Not you, the other girl." He pushed past us to approach Skylar. "She came out of nowhere and she saved that baby. She's a hero."

"No, no, no, no." Skylar shook her head quickly as people began to clap. "Applause isn't necessary. It's just what I do."

The crowd began to cheer as well. "Aw, and she's so humble." Tony cooed. He looked between her and Bree. "I had no idea that there were two bionic girls in Centium City."

"Of course I'm bionic." Skylar lied. "How else could I have done that super awesome, amazing thing I just did?"

"Okay, yay. You saved a baby." Bree rolled her eyes. "Everyone's over it. Back to me and my Breezers."

"What's your name?" Tony asked Skylar, ignoring Bree.

"Skylar." She answered, a little hesitantly. Tony nodded.

"Well, Skylar, you just made Cocky McBackwards here look like an amateur." Tony told her. Bree gasped, offended. "You should be in a commercial."

"Me?" "Her?" Skylar and Bree demanded at the same time.

"What do you say?" Tony smirked charmingly at her. "Wanna do it?"

"Absolutely." Skylar replied after barely a moment's thought.

"What?" "Dude!" Bree and I snapped at her. Tony grinned.

"Great. Bring on the Skylar-ers…" He frowned. "We'll work on that."

He gestured for his workers to change the commercial set, and to take down the giant poster of Bree that was hanging from a lamppost. Bree watched, dismayed, as the poster was trashed.

"Skylar, what are you doing?" She demanded, spinning around to face the girl. "This was my commercial! How could you show me up like that?"

"I wasn't trying to." The alien girl defended herself. "You're the one knocking over babies."

"I wasn't knocking over babies, I was barreling into a baby; there's a difference." Bree corrected her. "I cannot believe you, Skylar. You are such a hypocrite!"

"No, I'm not! I was just…I mean…I was…" Skylar shook her head in frustration. "You know what? You're right. It's just, my whole life, I've had to keep my powers a secret, but now that I can say I'm bionic, I can actually get credit."

"Which is exactly what you called Bree out for doing." I pointed out. Bree nodded in agreement.

"You called me a sellout." She insisted.

"Yeah, but now I get it. It is nice to be noticed." She admitted before sighing. "But it's not fair to steal your spotlight. The commercial's all yours."

"Thank you." Bree nodded at her, grateful that Skylar was doing the right thing. Tony walked over while we were talking, carrying a piece of paper.

"Alright, Skylar, here's your contract." He announced. He smiled when she turned to him. "And I see you've already been to makeup."

"Actually, I haven't." Skylar replied. Tony looked pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, a natural beauty. How refreshing." He tried to hand her the paper, but she shook her head.

"No, I haven't been there because I decided not to do the commercial." She announced.

"Huh." He frowned thoughtfully. "That is a disappointment. Oh well. Good news, Bree: you're awesome again." He looked past her, at one of his workers. "Get a new poster up ASAP!"

"Thank you." Bree smiled. "I think it's only right you use the fastest girl in the world."

"Excuse me?" Skylar looked at her, bemused. "You think you're faster than me."

"No, I know I'm faster than you." Bree corrected. I sighed. Here we go.

"Uh, no, you're not." Skylar informed her.

"Uh, yes, I am." Bree argued. Soon, they began shouting at each other. I shook my head, exasperated.

"This is why you don't date the competitive ones." Tony advised me. I chuckled, amused.

"YO!" I shouted, making them both stop. They looked at me. "Chill."

"You know what, though? I agree with Bree." Tony intervened. "The fastest girl in the world should be the face of these shoes."

"Thank you." Bree smirked.

"Which is why we're going to have a race." Tony continued.

"Wait, what?" Bree stared at him. Tony nodded.

"And whoever wins will get the commercial, and be known as the fastest girl in the world." He declared.

"I'm in." Skylar decided before Bree could argue. My girlfriend hesitated, then a look of determination came over her.

"Let's do it." She agreed. Tony nodded.

"Great!" He clapped his hands together before walking off to set things up.

"You know, I love this." Skylar crossed her arms. "After I win, the only thing you'll be known for is losing to me."

"Oh yeah?" Bree challenged. "Well, after I win, the only thing you'll be known for is rescuing a baby…which is nice, but it's no sneaker ad."

"One weekend." I muttered to myself. "One weekend for just us. Is that too much to ask?"

 **Dani's POV**

"Awesome." I grinned as Douglas finished adjusting the straps on the newest gadget we'd designed for the suit. "Really, really, awesome."

"Congratulations, Oliver." Douglas announced, stepping back. "You now have elbow swords."

He raised his arms, revealing the heavy-looking devices attached to the back of them. Two small swords slid out of either end, sticking out. "This is so cool!" My brother laughed merrily. "Now I can fight off enemies and make sushi at the same time!"

"Ollie!" I scolded.

"I mean chop carrots. I can fight enemies and chop carrots at the same time." He corrected himself, but I was no longer listening, as Kaz had just texted me.

"Oh, come on!" I complained, reading the text. I looked at Douglas and Ollie. "Kaz says that they added laser-guided ankle rockets. I wanted those!"

"That's the stupidest idea I have ever heard." Douglas told me swiftly. "But I'm not going to lie, it kinda scares me."

"We can't lose to Calla and Chase." Ollie commented. Douglas nodded.

"Damn straight. Chase would brag about it for the next three months, and Calla would bring it up for years every time she needed to one up me." He agreed. "But we're not going to lose to them, because we are about to up our game."

"How?" I asked, frowning.

"I need to change the mechanics of the suit." Douglas decided. He looked at us. "Are either of you double-jointed?"

"No…" I replied for both of us.

"Would you like to be?" He questioned.

 **Calla's POV**

"Oliver, Dee, and Douglas just added toe cannons to their suit." Kaz announced, looking at his phone.

"That's genius. We can't compete with that." Chase frowned. I smirked.

"Oh yeah?" I questioned. "Hey Kaz, what do you say about propulsion trip wire?"

"I have no idea what that is, but I love it." He grinned.

 **Dani's POV**

"Electrified net shooter!" Ollie suggested, grinning.

 **Calla's POV**

"Retractable bazooka." I told Chase with a smile.

 **Dani's POV**

"What about chainsaw gloves?" Ollie inquired.

 **Calla's POV**

"Acid-blasting toxic darts." Chase decided, already pulling out a set of darts from a box.

 **Dani's POV**

"Heat-seeking wrist boomerangs." I offered, smirking.

 **Calla's POV**

"Strategically-placed thermonuclear projectile buttons!" Chase exclaimed.

 **Dani's POV**

"Wait, I got it." Ollie grinned widely. "Venomous snake launcher."

"Oh, Oliver." Douglas looked at him, disappointed. "It's been done."

 **Jaden's POV**

"Okay, is everyone ready to see who's the fastest girl in the world?" Tony declared, grinning at the crowd.

"Do you guys really need to do this? I mean, can't you just agree that you're the two fastest, so we can go home?" I practically begged them. I had this bad feeling that no matter who won, one would be parading around the penthouse, bragging about it, while the other would glower and glare for who-knows-how-long.

"No." "Butt out, Jaden!" They retorted. I backed off. Fine, if they wanted to get even deeper into this fight of theirs, fine.

"Alright, when I say go, you guys will take a super-speed loop around the city and end up back here at the finish line."

"Look on the bright side, Bree." Skylar shrugged as she crouched low, her hands out in front of her. "At least when I beat you, you'll have super strength and energy blasts to fall back on. Oh, wait…that's me."

"Yeah, well at least when I walk barefoot, I don't make children cry." Bree grumbled. Skylar gasped, shocked that Bree would go that low.

"Okay, ladies. On your marks…get set…go!" Both girls disappeared for a moment, only to reappear a moment later, sweaty and out of breath. "And they're back."

"Yes, and I won." Bree declared.

"No way, I won!" Skylar argued.

"It's alright. We can just look back on the tape." Tony assured them. Both girls froze.

"Tape? What tape?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"Did you know they were filming this?" Bree hissed to me.

"No, I didn't. Why? What's the big deal?" I asked. She hesitated. "Bree, what did you do?"

"What makes you think that I did something?" She retorted. I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off. "Actually, don't answer that."

"I set up high-tech cameras at different spots around the park." Tony explained, leading us over to a very large monitor. Most of the crowd followed, wanting to see who won. "We can slow you down the footage down to one-ten-thousandths of a second, so we can see who the winner is."

He pressed the play button on the remote, and the screen zoomed in on Bree and Skylar, who were poised at the starting line. They began to run, at what looked like a normal speed, while everything else around them moved in slow motion. They raced past a group of football players, both girls keeping pace with each other. That is, until Bree pushed Skylar into a nearby trashcan. Skylar recovered quickly and raced after her, quickly meeting her pace once more. But as they passed by a streetlamp, the alien lashed out, shoving Bree into it so hard that it left a massive dent in it. The girls raced on, past some food stands, where Bree stole a piece of bubblegum right out a boy's hands, before he could chew it. They both reached the finish line at approximately the same time, though Bree was half a step in front of Skylar, making her the winner.

"Yay, I win." Bree said lightly, looking around in embarrassment. Both girls looked ashamed to be caught cheating like that, though no one in the crowd cared how they felt about it. The crowd dispersed, not even returning when Tony offered them free shoes.

"Great! Now I can't even give these things away." He muttered before giving the girls the stinky eye. "I don't want either of you as my spokesperson. Nobody likes a cheater, at least not one who's been caught."

He stormed off, furious. "Well, that went well." I drawled sarcastically. Bree gave me a look, then turned to Skylar.

"Skylar, look." She sighed. "I owe you a really big apology. I was so afraid of losing to you that I lost control of myself."

"Hey, I'm just as guilty." Skylar reminded her gently. "We both cheated."

"I guess when I saw you save that baby, I just freaked out." Bree shrugged. "Super speed has always been my thing."

"I get it." Skylar put her hand on my girlfriend's shoulder. "But for the record, there's a lot more to you than just super speed."

"I can attest to that." I agreed. Bree blushed lightly.

"Thanks." She told both of us before giving Skylar and apologetic smile. "And I'm sorry I said mean things about your alien feet."

"That's okay. I know you were just jealous." Skylar brushed it off. Bree raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, sure." She agreed to appease her friend.

 **Dani's POV**

"Wait until you see Ollie's suit." I teased, pacing around Calla and Chase. "It's fully loaded."

"We're just going to let our suit do the talking." Calla assured us.

"Which, by the way, it does." Chase added. Douglas rolled his eyes.

"It's time for the big reveal." He decided. He tapped on the wall that hid the hyperlift. "You ready, Oliver?"

"Ready!" My brother called, his voice muffled by the wall.

"Let's do it, Kaz!" Chase called. There was no response. "Kaz!"

"Are you talking to me?" My boyfriend called from the veranda. "My ears are still ringing from that last missile test."

"Ha!" Douglas laughed pointedly. "MISS!"

The wall behind us slid open, revealing Ollie, wearing a very high-tech exoskeleton. Kaz stumbled in from outside, hardly able to move his limbs because his suit, just as teched-out as Ollie's. He could barely walk, and that much was obvious. "Help." He requested, and Calla and Chase both went to help him get to the center of the room.

"Go ahead, Oliver. Show 'em what you got." Douglas encouraged my brother.

"Prepare to be wowed by my heat-seeking wrist boomerangs!" He exclaimed. He raised his hand, but instead of shooting a boomerang out, it must have shot inwards, judging by his winces and the smoke rising from he suit. "Ow, ow, ow."

"Crap." Calla muttered as Kaz stumbled and fell face-first onto the ground.

"You okay?" I asked gently.

"Fantastic." He replied, heavily sarcastic.

"Okay, who here thinks we took this too far?" Calla asked. All of us, except for Kaz, raised our hands. "Kaz?"

"Oh, I agree. I just can't move." He assured us.

"Yeah, maybe these things are a little impractical for missions." Douglas admitted. Calla looked at him. "Okay, way impractical. Back to the drawing board."

"Hey, I have a crazy idea. Why not just work together?' I questioned. Why they didn't do this in the first place was beyond me, but I had figured it would be more fun to have a competition. Apparently, judging by the looks of the boys, not as much fun as I originally believed. "Seriously, I bet that if we put our heads together, we could come up with a good idea, and in half the time it took for these."

"I'd be willing to give it a shot." Chase mentioned. Calla sighed.

"Yeah, me too." She agreed. Douglas nodded.

"Alright. Let's do it." He decided. I grinned. "But no laser rockets."

"Then I'm out." I declared.

 **Xxx**

"We did it!" Several hours later, Douglas, Calla, and Chase emerged from Mission Command. "We've created the team's new mission suits, and they're better than we could've ever imagined."

"Oh yeah?" Jaden raised an eyebrow. "Let's see."

 **Xxx**

And they weren't kidding. These suits were amazing, from their black and sleek dark blue color scheme of the leather, to the individual designs to the Elite Force symbol we all wore at the front of our waistlines.

Chase's suit was more black than blue, with heavy padding along his abdomen and upper chest. The rest of the long sleeved jacket was sleek blue,, even the collar that stuck up under the padding. His pants were mostly black, with the exception of one leg that had three blue horizontal lines running along the upper part of the leg. Meanwhile, his boots and gloves matched, both of them as black as the rest of his uniform

Calla's pants were almost completely black, with the exception of two blue stripes on the outside of each of her thighs. Her top, on the other hand, was mostly blue, with the exception of black stripes that covered both of her sides, and her sleeves. Even the hood she'd insisted on including in her uniform was pitch black. Her gloves, longer than the rest of ours to accommodate for any technological additions she might want to include, and her knee-high high heel boots were both blue. Also unlike the rest of us girls, Calla work a black belt with the Elite Force symbol on it, along with a holster for her Plasma Gun.

Skylar's uniform – a stylish one-piece suit - was mostly blue, with the exception of the thick black rim around the zipper that went from the Elite Force symbol that rested on her waistline all the way up, and the thick black stripe that rounded her waist like a belt. Her gloves – cute one that rose to just past her wrist – were mostly black, as were her knee-high heeled boots, though they both had blue accents.

Ollie's uniform had to the sleekest of them all, the black, striped padding around his abdomen gleaming in the light. His uniform pants were half black and half blue, with blue lines running down the sides. His jacket was similar to Chase's – it was padded for extra protection and had a blue collar – though there was a thick blue line on either side, designed as if outlining a trapezoid-like shape that went from his armpits to the bottom of his rib cage. He had black boots and gloves too, though they were decorated with extra blue lines for aesthetics.

Bree's was the simplest of all the designs, by far. Her uniform was a one piece, like Skylar's, and was all blue, except for the two thick, half-foot long black lines that went from her feet all the way up to her armpits, and then back down her arms. She had knee-high, high-heel boots as well, all black just like her gloves.

Kaz's costume was also fairly simple – a pair of solid black pants, and a blue jacket with a line of padding on either side of zipper, as well as on top of his shoulders. He had fairly short gloves – made out of flame retardant material – and black boots with blue straps.

As for me, I think I had the coolest costume of all. The front and back of the uniform were blue, while the sides were black. My boots, knee-high but without the heels (because seriously, who can fight in heels?), were black, but my gloves, a pair that went just past my wrists, were blue.

"Yeah." Jaden nodded, smirking at us. "I think you guys can pull this off."

 **Calla's POV**

"This is ridiculous." I couldn't help but giggle in amusement. Chase had not just refused to tell me where he was taking me for dinner, but he had also insisted on blindfolding me, then using the Geoleap watch to bring us to the mysterious occasion. I heard him chuckle as he led me along. "Seriously, where are we going?"

"Chill, we're here." He assured me.

"So I can take this blindfold off?" I questioned, reaching up to remove it, but Chase caught my hand before I could.

"One second." He promised me before releasing my hand. I crossed my arms as I heard his footsteps depart.

"Seriously? What's with the theatrics?" I questioned, just as a thick scent hit my nose. "Is that steak?"

Chase chuckled merrily. "Figures the food would be the first thing you notice." I heard him mutter. He cleared his throat. "Alright, you can to take off your blindfold."

Smiling, I removed the blindfold. I looked around, shocked. We were standing in the lab, our lab, the one back in Mission Creek. The floor was littered with flower petals – Calla Lily petals, I noticed with a smile – and off to the side, a table for two had been set up with candles and a steak dinner. I smiled, then looked at him. "Your idea of romantic is dinner in your parents' basement?" I teased him.

"Hey, don't knock this place. It's where we first met…where we first kissed…where we first…" He smirked at me suggestively. I laughed.

"That was sweet. Cheesy and sweet." I frowned, my mind racing. It was neither of our birthdays, nor was it Christmas, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve. Hell, the thing I could think of was the 191st anniversary of the creation of Menai Suspension Bridge, but as far as I knew, the only person in the world who would ever celebrate that was Dani, Oliver, and Kaz's former boss at Mighty Med. "But, seriously Chase. I love this, I really do, but what's the occasion?"

He chuckled, rubbing his chin a bit. "This is our place." He continued to be sentimental about the lab. "I mean, it's ours. It where we'd sneak off to when we needed a break from the others. It's where we grew together, where we invented and destroyed, and fought and made up. It's…where we fell in love." He looked at me. "Which is why I wanted to come here to ask you."

"Ask me?" You know that feeling when you have no idea what's about to happen, but at the same time, a deeper part of you is already five steps ahead and knows everything? Yeah, I had that feeling. I raised one hand to my mouth as Chase dropped onto one knee, his hand fishing in his pocket. "Oh."

"Calla Alexandria Parker, you are the brilliant, beautiful woman that I want to spend the rest of my life with." He told me, pulling out a black velvet box. He opened it up to reveal a beautiful, white gold ring with three glittering diamonds on it, the first shaped like a diamond, with two smaller, circular ones pressed up against it so that it almost formed the shape of a tiny maple leaf. "Will you marry me?"

I wasn't the type to get emotional often, but I could feel the tears of prickle in my eyes. I nodded, clasping my hands together. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes." Before I knew what I was doing, I had dropped to my knees, my lips crashing into Chase's.

 **Kihonne: So, I take you all loved the ending, but what did you think of the chapter as a whole? Good, bad? In-between? Anyway, I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Here's the update schedule for when I do return:**

 **February 13** **th** **: Follow the Leader**

 **February 20** **th** **: The List**

 **February 27** **th** **: Coming in Through the Cracks**

 **So I'll see you guys on the 13** **th** **. Until then, don't forget to review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **PS. Oh, and before I forget, I'm holding a little contest concerning a future story of mine. The details are on my profile, and I encourage everyone to participate! You might just get a sneak peek at an upcoming chapter, or something even better! :)**


	6. Follow The Leader

**Kihonne: Alright, I'm back! First of all, thanks to everyone who entered the contest. Even though the big prize has been given out, the rest are all still available, so if you haven't entered yet, feel free to drop me a PM! Anyway, before we get onto the chapter, here are the shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **Valpjo: Yes, he asked. And god, I know that feeling. Try reading a really funny fic when you're supposed to be asleep. Thin walls and giggle-inducing stories were my archenemies back when I had a curfew. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Darth Becky 726: Lol! I'm glad you're excited about it! I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: Everyone wants a Chase. I want a Chase. And yes, Jaden's back. Not for long, but he'll drop by every once in a while. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Sugabee14: I'm glad you're excited about it! Lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Sacredmaiden009: Yes, they're engaged! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **Eliteforce12: I'm so glad you liked it, especially the lab part. I've been planning that proposal since the beginning of the series, and even after Douglas blew it up, I still wanted to do it there. I'm really glad you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter just as much.**

 **GU3ST: I'm glad you liked it. However, I won't be doing the older Reese plotline. I might create an OC to help make Perry jealous, but I have certain plans with Reese that only really work if she's around the same age as the team. Sorry. I hope you like this chapter though!**

 **Algernon23: Thank you so much! I just never saw Chase as the type of guy to propose in front of others – he's a very intimate guy, especially when it comes to Calla. Kaz, yeah, he would propose in front of crowd. Hell, he'd probably hire a sky-writer, but not Chase. And the planning, that's going to be fun. The dresses, the registry, all of it going to be a lot of fun to write, and hopefully to read. And yes, Jaden got to come for a visit. We'll be seeing him every once in a while. And I like having it where Dani doesn't know everyone – it lets me do character descriptions again, and show a different take to the character than we would see if she already knew the person. I'm glad you like how I make things flow with the original series. I'm trying to make the chapters work together, instead of seeming to be separate stand-in episodes. It's one of the things that throws me off about shows like Lab Rats – if you can watch two consecutive episodes and not see any connections between them at all, there's a problem. I think you're going to like how I continue to do that – I like foreshadowing, so dropping subtle hints here and there to make things flow better is fun to do. I'm glad you like Calla and Dani's outfits – it took me a while to figure out exactly how I wanted them. Anyway, I think you're really going to like what I have planned for the future, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Layla347: I don't think anyone was. I hope you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter just as much.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I know the feeling. You're going to have to wait a bit for the wedding, but don't worry – the planning itself is going to be fun. And yeah, Jaden popped by. How long will he stay? Not long, but he will be back. Thank you for the well wishes. As for Jaden and Bree, I'm not sure if I'll have time. I might end up having them engaged by the end of the story, but chances are, we won't see a wedding. I only have so many chapters to write, and I don't want to rush anything. So, time will tell. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Avaoreo1112: I'm glad you liked it. Honestly, the original plan was to have it at the end of Coming in Through the Clutch, but I have certain plans that work better with a little time between the engagement and said plans, so I decided to do it a few chapters earlier. I'm glad you liked the missions suits descriptions, particularly the hood, as well as Jaden's appearance. Thank you again for the well-wishes, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: A lot of people were surprised, actually. I'm so glad you liked it, and thank you for the compliment about the characters. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **WeekendGirl: I'm not sure. It's possible that I might fit another marriage proposal into the story, but I'm not entirely sure. I'd like to, but I only have so many chapters to work with. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **IAMAGUEST: I'm glad you liked it! Thank you so much, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Perry: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Chase's POV**

I hummed pleasantly to myself as I headed down into Mission Command. Calla was still sleeping – she hated getting up anytime in the AM – so I thought I'd go get some work down on the superhero list she, Kaz, Oliver, and Dani were compiling. I figured I could get a bit done before they got down here, as a nice surprise.

But the moment I stepped out of the hyperlift, I was surprised to see that the entire room was littered in beach junk and dirty clothing. "What the…?" I questioned, confused.

"AH! Intruder!" I barely had the chance to process Perry's presence before she was using Calla's prototype ParaBlaster (pretty much a mix between the Plasma Gun and the Paragun) to fire on me. I flipped into the air, narrowly avoiding the blast that would have nailed me in the chest, before landing on my feet and turning to glare at her.

"Perry!" I exclaimed, staring at the cat-pajamas-clad woman.

"Chaz?" She stared at me, confused. I sighed.

"It's Chase." I corrected her. She nodded, shrugging.

"I know." She admitted. "I just like the name 'Chaz' better."

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Oh, I decided to take a little vacay from the academy." She explained, gesturing at all the beach stuff. "Dooley's been getting on my nerves a little too much."

"So, you left a tropical island to vacation in the windowless underbelly of a skyscraper?" I questioned skeptically.

"Yep. I have to get my skin back to its natural state: pale and clammy." She explained. "Plus, I'm from here."

"You were born in Centium City?" I asked, surprised, as I stepped over her inflatable pool on my way to the cyber desk.

"Nope, under, in a network of tunnels underneath the ground." She clarified. I nodded, then tried to reach for the weapon.

"Anyway, would you give me Calla's weapon?" I questioned. She pulled away, not letting me take it.

"Sorry, but when you're born in the bowels of a city, you learn to watch your back." She replied. "And you also learn that not everything that looks like meat is meat."

Before I could respond to that, the lights flashed red and a quick alarm went off. _"I hate to interrupt, however, my police scanners have alerted me to a situation at the Centium City Arch."_ MISS announced

"I'm on my way, MISS." I told the AI. I raced to the hyperlift, but the doors refused to open. "Damn it, Perry. Your blast broke the hyperlift."

"You're the one that ducked out of the way." Perry retorted. Just then, the alarm went off again. "Ah!" Perry cried, surprised, before shooting at the cyberdesk.

"No!" I cursed, rushing to it. It started smoking. "Stop shooting things! MISS! Can you manually control the hyperlift?" Silence. "MISS."

I sighed, realizing what had happened. "Wonderful." I commented sarcastically. "Your blast put us on lockdown and took our mission command's entire central nervous system, along with MISS. We're trapped."

Perry shrugged, then aimed the weapon at the lights and shot again. The lights shattered, leaving us in almost complete darkness, with the exception of the faint lights coming from the cyberdesk and consols. "What did you do that for?" I demanded.

"Well, if we're going to be stuck down here, I don't want to have to look at your face." She retorted

 **Bree's POV**

"Kaz'll be right down." Oliver announced, walking down the stairs. Most of the team had already gathered in the living room, ready for our first mission as a team.

"Where's Chase?" I asked, turning to look at Calla. She shrugged, frowning.

"No idea. It's weird." She admitted. "He's usually the first one ready for missions. Let me call him."

She pulled out her phone, hit the speed dial, and then held it up for everyone to hear. Instead of ringing, it went straight to voicemail. _"Greetings. You've reached Chase, the smartest man in the world. I'm not here, but if you'd like to leave a message for Chase, the smartest man in the world, do it at the beep. And if you didn't know that already, then you are definitely not the smartest man in the world."_

"Well, at least he shortened it." Calla reasoned before speaking into the phone. "Where are you? Call me."

"What are we going to do?" Oliver questioned. "We can't go on our first mission without our leader."

"We can't exactly wait though." Skylar reasoned. "We have to get the Centium City arch."

"She's right." Calla nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "The glass floor on the observation deck is cracking and tourists are trapped. We can't waste any time waiting for him."

"Let's go." Skylar decided. Oliver, Dani, and Calla followed her out. I, on the other hand, paused by the door.

"Kaz! C'mon!" I shouted impatiently. He walked down the stairs, carrying a duffle bag in one hand, and his phone in the other hand.

He used his phone to play a guitar cord, then let out a small scream that sounded vaguely like "Elite Force!"

"What was that?" I questioned, shaking my head.

"It's our first mission. When we show up, people need to know we're there." He explained.

"Yeah, no." I told him, walking out the door.

 **Chase's POV**

"Finally." I muttered to myself as Perry and I stepped out of the hyperlift. That thing took hour to fix. "Why'd you have to shoot the hyperlift a second time?"

"Why'd you duck a second time?" She retorted, just as the front door opened and the team filed in, clad in their mission uniforms and carrying equipment bags.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked as Calla walked towards me. She kissed me on the cheek, smiling in confusion.

"Where've you been? I tried calling you twice." She told me. "We just got back from our first mission."

"You guys went without me?" I questioned, hurt.

"We had to." Skylar reasoned. "Where were you?"

"Perry and I were stuck downstairs." I explained, gesturing to the older woman. Bree and Calla physically recoiled when they saw her, a surprised and dismayed look on both of their faces.

"What is she doing here?" Bree questioned. She paused. "Sorry, I didn't meant to say it like that. What is it doing here?"

"Chase, this must be your mom." Kaz assumed, smiling at Perry. "The resemblance is uncanny."

"She is not my mother." I retorted, looking at him in disgust.

"Please. If my kid came out looking like that, I'd have put the robot parts on the outside." Perry agreed.

"Well, I'm Oliver, this is my sister Dani, and this is Kaz." Oliver introduced the rest of them.

"Paul, Bonnie, Glenn. Got it." Perry decided. Kaz and the twins exchanged looks, but didn't argue.

"I'm Skylar," Skylar interjected. Perry looked at her in awe.

"I know who you are." She assured the alien. "Donny told me that the robots would be teaming with the superheroes. I can't believe I'm in the presence of a real heroine."

"Uh, hello?" Bree got Perry's attention. "You've never acted this impressed around me."

"That's because she's a comic book hero come to life, and you're a manmade dolly." Perry insulted her. Dani laughed lightly.

"Burn." She teased.

"Let's get back to the mission." I interrupted them, needing to know what kind of damage control had to be done. "How bad was it?"

"Actually, it was a total success." Oliver told me. I frowned.

"Really?" I looked at Calla, half-expecting her to dispute Oliver's response. But instead she nodded eagerly.

"It went far smoother than I thought it would." She agreed. "Skylar had a really great idea and stepped up as mission leader."

"Her?" I frowned. But I was mission leader.

"Yes, me." Skylar looked at me strangely. "Who'd you think it was going to be, Oliver? No offense." She added quickly, noting the look on the cryokinetic's face.

"Yeah, she had me use my fire ability to seal the cracks on the floor." Kaz explained.

"While I used my super strength to keep the floor stable." Oliver added.

"I flew around below the glass to catch anyone who fell, and Skylar and Bree rushed everyone to safety while Calla kept the crowd from panicking." Dani finished.

"And everyone made it out alive?" I confirmed.

"Well, one guy did twist his ankle." Bree reasoned.

"That's okay. I was able to walk it off." Oliver assured me.

"I thought you guys did great out there." Skylar told the rest of the team. "You should be proud."

"Thanks, but we should really be proud of you, mission leader." Kaz complimented her.

The others all congratulated Skylar on her success as mission leader before departing to clean up after the mission. "Yeah, they really needed you." Perry commented sarcastically.

 **Skylar's POV**

"They've been at this for hours." Bree complained, shaking her head at Dani, Kaz, and Oliver. The three were busy staring at the large tower made up of plastic cups from the kitchen.

"Everyone is counting on you." Kaz was telling Dani, his hands on her shoulders. "If you can't do this, the entire tower can collapse."

"I got this." Dani nodded to herself. She stepped up the tower, eyes scanning the cups carefully, before she slowly, carefully, pulled one from the center of the tower. Surprisingly, the tower remained steady, unaffected by the removal of the cup. Dani fist-pumped the air, then turned to the boys, grinning. They all bumped fists. "Superheroes."

"Hey, has anyone seen the cu-nevermind." Calla stopped next to us, staring up at the tower. "Why? Just…why?"

"It's a new game we invented called Topple the Tower." Kaz explained. "You pull one item out, and try to put it back on top of the tower without knocking it over."

"Like Jenga, but with household objects." Oliver added.

"You know, I'm suddenly really glad that Mr. Davenport gave us plastic cups rather than glass ones." Bree commented to me. I smirked, agreeing with her.

"Any idea when you might be done?" Calla inquired, bemused.

"Minutes, days…we really have no idea." Dani supplied. Calla sighed, then glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, hey babe. If you wanted something to drink, you're either going to have to wait, or use a bowl."

"Actually, I'm looking for Kaz." Chase told her. He walked past us. "Hey, man, you ready to work on that fire stream power?"

"Actually, Skylar already helped me with that." Kaz replied. I smiled at Chase, nodding.

"What?!" Chase demanded, shocked. I looked at him, confused by his reaction. I figured he'd appreciate the help, seeing as he and Calla had been busy with planning the guest list for their wedding.

"Uh, Chase, could you flip out somewhere else?" Dani requested as she flew into the air and hovered near the top of the tower, the cup clutched in her hand. "Your frustration is often amusing, but it could knock our tower over."

"What do you think you're doing?" Chase turned on me. "First you act like mission leader, now you're training Kaz."

"The team needed some to lead, so I did." I explained, genuinely confused by his reaction. "Kaz asked me for help, so I helped."

"Kaz?" Chase turned around.

"Wait a tick." It was Kaz' turn to pull a cup from the stack. He cautiously removed one of the cups, then, when the tower didn't fall, turned around. "Okay, go ahead."

"Why did you ask Skylar for help training when you already asked me?"

"Well, she was a great mission leader, and I just figured she would be great at that too." Kaz reasoned. "I was right."

"Skylar, may I have a word?" Chase requested. He walked into the living room, not waiting for my response. I looked at Calla, wondering what was wrong with her crazy fiancé, but she simple shrugged. I stepped into the living room, where Chase was waiting.

"Look, I know you're new, to this team and to Earth, so I'm going to let this one slide." He told me, his tone dripping with annoyance. "But around here, I'm mission leader."

"I wasn't trying to step on your toes." I assured him.

"Well, you couldn't, because my toes would be way out ahead of you, leading!" He insisted. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, the team needed me." I told him. "And I'm sorry, but if they need me again, then I'm going to lead them again."

"Stick it to him, sister." Perry called, cheering me on. "About time someone showed these robots who's boss."

"You know what, Perry?" Chase spun around to glare at the short, red-haired woman. "You're the reason this whole thing happened. Now go pack your stuff and get out!"

"Chase!" I snapped, surprised.

"No, I mean it." The older boy stood his ground. Perry sighed.

"Alright, I'll go." Perry sighed, heading for the hyperlift. "I guess I can stay with the one friend that will never leave me: loneliness."

She sighed audibly, then took the hyperlift down to the basement. Feeling bad for her, I followed to try and help.

 **Xxx**

"So, aren't you gonna help me pack your stuff?" I questioned, glancing up at Perry as I folded up one of her shirts.

"Nope." She replied from where she was lounging in a beach chair. "I've read all your comics. We have so much in common."

"We do?" I hummed questioningly. Perry nodded.

"We're both beautiful butt kickers, and we both have three bladders." She reasoned. I smiled in confusion.

"Why do you have three bladders?" I inquired.

"Technically, they're all part of the same one, but that's what you get when you use a half-off coupon for major surgery." She explained, much to my amusement.

"You're hilarious." I laughed, packing the shirt into a suitcase. "I don't get why Calla, Bree, and Chase don't like you."

"They don't?" She frowned, surprised.

"No. They say you're a horrible, evil, little troll." I elaborated.

"Oh, that makes sense." The confusion disappeared off Perry's face as she smiled.

 **Chase's POV**

"Hey, have you guys seen the toaster?" Bree questioned, walking onto the veranda from the kitchen. Calla and I didn't answer verbally, instead pointing towards the top of Kaz, Dani, and Oliver's new tower, where the toaster was stuck between the microwave and a small DVD player.

"I'd tell you to wait for it, but it's probably gonna break when the tower falls, so you should just buy a new one." Kaz suggested.

"I need my own place." Bree muttered, shaking her head. I was about to reply when all our phones went off, the familiar sound of a mission alert blaring from the devices.

"Two missions in one day." Calla commented thoughtfully.

"Mission alert!" I called to the others, making sure they heard.

"We know!" Dani replied, literally flying upstairs to get changed. Kaz and Bree both followed. Calla grabbed my jacket off the coat rack, having not bothered to change out of her uniform earlier.

"MISS, what's the mission?" she questioned, checking her weapons to make sure they were charged completely.

" _It appears that a truck carrying toxic chemicals has overturned in the Rogers Tunnel."_ Coordinates appeared on my phone screen. _"An explosion was created, and 102 people are trapped inside. So far, no casualties have been reported."_

"Thank you, MISS." I told the AI.

"Where's Skylar?" Oliver questioned, zipping up his jacket.

"No idea." Calla commented, nodding to Dani and Kaz as they made their way down the stairs, now fully dressed in their uniforms. Bree sped past them, skidding to a stop near the couch.

"Without her, who's going to lead us?" Kaz asked.

"I am!" It should have been obvious, really.

"Really?" Dani cast Calla a sideways glance. "Is that a wise decision?"

"Yes, it is." Calla assured her.

"You guys head out." I ordered. "I'll go find Skylar and meet you out there."

Calla led the team out the door, and I started towards the hyperlift. Skylar was probably down there with Perry…suddenly, an idea came to mind. The mission seemed pretty run of the mill – get people out, stop things from blowing up. Nothing that I hadn't handled with Adam and Bree a million times, and with Dani, Kaz, Oliver, and Calla now out in the field with us, would Skylar's presence really make a difference? What if she just…stayed behind.

"MISS?" I said hesitantly. "Lock down the hyperlift. Only reactivate it at my order."

" _Miss Skylar is still in Mission Command."_ MISS protested.

"I'm aware. Do it anyway. And not a word to anyone. If they ask why it's deactivated, tell them it's a mechanical error." I told the AI. "That's an order."

" _Very well."_ She didn't sound like she liked my order at all, but the lights on the hyperlift dimmed. I nodded to myself, then headed out the door to follow the rest of the team.

 **Skylar's POV**

"It's a mission alert." I declared, recognizing the alert. I looked at Perry apologetically. "I gotta go."

"Oh, I guess balling my socks can wait." Perry grumbled. I stepped into the hyperlift, but it wouldn't activate. "Why isn't it working? MISS!"

" _Yes, Miss Skylar?"_ The computer replied.

"What's wrong with the hyperlift?" I demanded. There was a pause.

" _There is a mechanical error. I'm afraid the hyperlift is on lockdown."_ She informed me. I sighed. Seriously?

 **Chase's POV**

"Listen up." I got there in time to see Calla and Bree leading some people out from the thick cloud of smoke coming from the tunnel. "The truck crumbled the wall, blocking the other exit. The only way to get people out is to bring them back through the smoke."

"I'm here!" I called to them, running past a group of people who were fleeing the scene.

"Where's Skylar?" Oliver questioned, looking past me as if he expected to see the alien come up behind me.

"I couldn't find her." I lied. "I tried calling her, but she didn't respond, and I couldn't wait around all day because I had a team to lead."

"Well, should we maybe, like, try her again?" Oliver suggested.

"No time. The smoke is getting thicker." Calla shook her head. "If we don't put it out soon, the whole tunnel's going to be a toxic cloud."

"Calla's right." I agreed. "I'll do a scan to locate the people who are trapped. Oliver, use your cryoblast to extinguish the fire. Bree, use your super speed to form a cyclone to clear the smoke. Kaz, Dani, you two fly in and evacuate people. Calla, use your geoleap watch to get to the people they can't reach. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Oliver nodded, pulling a phone out of his pocket, "Do you think I should try calling Skylar? She might not be answering because it's you."

"Just go!" I snapped, pointing at the tunnel.

 **Skylar's POV**

"I'm going to miss the mission." I muttered, pacing mission command.

"Let me try to fix it. I'm a bit of a techy." Perry offered. She walked over to the hand scanner on the wall, slapped it really hard once, then turned back to me with a sigh. "That's all I got. Just call the team."

"They would have left already. I'm not going to slow them down." I replied, shaking my head. Perry sighed and sat down at the cyberdesk.

"Too bad we can't get to the underground tunnels behind these rock walls. They should connect directly to the mission site."

"Wait, there are tunnels behind here?" I hadn't had the chance to explore all the tunnels yet – only Kaz, Calla, and Dani seemed interested in doing that – so I hadn't known they extended very far past the penthouse. Perry nodded.

"Yep. They go all over the city. That's how I got in here." She explained. "But now they're locked because earlier some nitwit shot the controls."

Well, I wasn't going to let that stop me. I raised my hand towards the section above the rock wall where I knew the opening mechanism was. I blasted it with a ball of pure energy, smirking when the rock wall flew open. "Whoa!" Perry exclaimed excitedly. "And I thought my Uncle Cletus was cool when he popped his belly button in and out to 'Yankee Doodle'. Well, until he pushed too hard and his insides shot out like a snake in a can."

I frowned, looking at her. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if we should really be friends."

 **Chase's POV**

"I double-checked. That's everyone." Dani announced, flying back over to us. I nodded.

"Great work, team. We got everybody out in a safe and timely fashion." I smiled happily. "And while that should be reward enough, let me throw this little cherry on top: thank you."

"No worries." "Cool." The others grumbled.

"That's it?" I was offended. They'd treated Skylar better. "No 'thank you, Chase, for your brilliant leadership'?"

"It was amazing, baby." Calla assured me, though I could tell she was only saying so to placate me. The others didn't look so sure though. "Hey! Chase is a great leader. He's worked long and hard at it."

"Thank you, beautiful." I kissed her on the cheek.

"Calla's right. It's not his fault that Skylar just rolled out of bed and became a great one immediately." Bree added.

"You know what? I'm taking back my cherry." I snapped irritably. Suddenly, the roof of the tunnel began to creak and groan.

"The ceiling's cracking." Dani announced, looking up worriedly. "This whole place is gonna come down."

"We have to get out of here." I decided. But before we could go anywhere, we all heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoing somewhere in the tunnel.

"I double checked. There was no one left!" Dani protested.

"You must have missed them. But don't worry – I'll go get them." I assured her before heading into the smoke. Before I got very far though, two figures started making their way through the smoke. As they got closer, I recognized them – Skylar and Perry.

"Skylar? How did you get out…I mean, where were you?" I asked, remembering that A, she didn't know what I did, and B, neither did the others, all of whom were within earshot.

"We were stuck in mission command." She explained. "We had to escape through the underground tunnels."

"Well, what's she doing here?" I questioned, gesturing at Perry.

"Skylar and I are besties now." Perry told me. "Deal with it."

The tunnel creaked again, this time louder than before. "The tunnel's coming down!" Bree shouted, just as the ceiling began to crumble above us. I reacted instantly, pushing Skylar and Perry to the right. We all hit the ground besides a car as the ceiling gave way, the wreckage and debris creating a wall between us and the rest of the team. Dim light filtered in through cracks in the remains of the unsteady ceiling above us. That part hadn't gave way, thankfully, but threatened to with each and every second.

"Are you alright?" I asked as the dust cleared, glancing at Skylar.

"Yeah, you?" She replied, getting up. I nodded. "Alright. I'm going to blast us out of here."

"No!" I snapped quickly. "It isn't stable. The only thing prevent this tunnel from collapsing in this pile." I pointed at the wall of debris. "Blasting us out is a terrible idea, mission leader."

"Then what do you suggest?" Skylar demanded, crossing her arms. I thought about it for a moment.

"I'll put my force field around us. That'll protect us if it collapses." I decided.

"And leave us trapped underneath an even bigger pile of rubble, not to mention crushing the rest of the team." She retorted. Perry cleared her throat, reminding us that she was still there.

"Stop arguing and focus on what's important: saving me." She told us. I rolled my eyes, but Skylar gave her a kind smile.

"Don't worry. We're all going to get out of here." She promised her.

"Don't give her false hope." I told the alien. She looked at me, surprised.

"It's not false or hope. I trust out team, and I know they'll rescue us." She insisted.

"How?" I questioned.

"They're smart. They'll figure it out." Skylar reasoned. Perry snorted in amusement.

"No, they aren't. No, they won't." She replied.

 **Calla's POV**

"Chase! Skylar!" Bree shouted. "Can you guys hear me?"

"We have to get them out of there." I decided.

"How? The people that tell us how to do that are both in there." Dani pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

"We're an elite force. We can figure it out ourselves." Bree and I both had the experience, and Kaz, Dani, and Oliver were all fairly creative. Put that together and you have a pretty good combination, right?

"We just have to think." Kaz agreed. "What would Chase or Skylar do?"

"Well, I know one of them would be beautiful." Oliver commented. His sister looked at him.

"I'm starting to wish that you were stuck in there too." She told him. He shrugged.

"You know, with Skylar, I'll take it." He replied before looking back up at the huge mound of rubble. How were we going to get them out of there without killing them and/or us?

 **Skylar's POV**

I sighed, sitting against the hood of the car. Chase was still pacing around, trying to figure out how to escape, while Perry had given up completely. "I feel horrible, Chase." I apologized. He looked over at me, surprised. "I mean, you wouldn't even be stuck here if you weren't trying to save our lives."

"Skylar, it's okay. Don't feel bad." He told me.

"Yeah, don't feel bad." Perry agreed. "Especially since he's the one that locked you in mission command."

"What?" I demanded. I turned to look at Chase, who had a deer-in-headlights expression plastered all over his face. "What is she talking about?"

"Yeah. What are you talking about?" Chase forced a confused smile onto his face.

"You purposefully locked her in so that you could go on a mission without her and be leader again." Perry accused.

"Is that true?" It made so much sense.

"Come on, who're you gonna believe? Me, or a chronic liar?" Chase snapped, glaring daggers at Perry.

"I resent you calling me a chronic lair, and so would my nephew, Abraham Lincoln." Perry retorted. I glanced at her, then looked back at Chase.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, Chase. Is it true?" Oh, I knew that Perry was telling the truth – it all made too much sense for it to be a lie – but I wanted to hear it from him.

"Yes, it's true." He sighed. He glared at Perry. "What, did you watch the security footage? Did MISS rat me out?"

"Neither. I just thought, what would I do if I was Chase and was threatened by an amazing, vastly superior superhero?" Perry hummed thoughtfully. "Guess we're not that different after all. You really could be my son."

 **Calla's POV**

"We're running out of time." Bree muttered, looking at the roof of the tunnel worriedly. She looked at me. "We have to figure out a way to remove one of those giant rocks so they can climb through."

"But if we remove the wrong one, the entire tunnel will collapse." I muttered. Suddenly, something occurred to me. "Wait a sec, this is just like your Topple the Tower game."

"Yeah, except when we play, almost no one dies." Kaz insisted.

"Almost?" Bree repeated, staring.

"Nothing." Kaz said quickly, covering it up.

"Either way," we could deal with the 'almost' later, "with all your experience, you should have an advantage at picking the right rock."

"We've played like two games…and we didn't even finish the last one." Dani retorted.

"No, no. Calla's right." Oliver told his sister. "That could work."

"You're a genius, Calla." Kaz complimented me.

"She told you to move a rock. Settle down." "Well, duh." Bree and I commented at the same time. I gave my friend a hurt look as Oliver, Dani, and Kaz all went to move a rock.

"Okay, we can't all do this." Dani interrupted them, as they reached for different rocks. She sighed. "Kaz won the first game, so he picks."

"Fine." Oliver sighed reluctantly. Kaz got down on his knees, looking for a big enough rock near the bottom to pull. He reached for one, but Oliver stopped him. "Not that one. I'm pretty sure it's the other one."

"Okay." Kaz put his hands on a different rock, then began to pull it out. Immediately, the whole thing began to shake.

"Not that one, not that one!" Dani said quickly as Kaz shoved it back in.

"This might take a little longer than expected." Bree commented, looking at me.

 **Chase's POV**

"Look, Skylar, I'm sorry, okay?" I sighed, turning to the very angry girl. "I was afraid you were going to take my job."

"I told you, the only reason why I stepped in was because the team needed me." Skylar insisted. "I never wanted to be mission leader."

"But you could be." I looked down for a moment. "You're really good at it, and when I saw how the team responded to you, I-I just panicked."

"It's just a title, Chase." She said gently. I shook my head.

"No, not to me." I sat down on the hood of the car. "Without that title, I don't know who I am."

"I can tell you who you are, but you won't like it." Perry interjected.

"It doesn't matter anyway." I sighed. "We're either going to die in here, or if we do somehow manage to get out, everyone is going to find out what I did, and they'll never respect me enough to be mission leader again. Either way, it's over for me."

Just as I said that, the rocks behind us began to shift. Thinking that the wall was coming down, I spun around, panicked, but instead, a few larger rocks fell out, revealing Kaz. He laid on his stomach, having crawled through a tunnel he must have made in the rock wall. "Glen!" Perry exclaimed.

"Uh, no, it's Paul actually. Oliver's Glen." Kaz corrected. Perry nodded and the boy grinned at us. "Anyone need a rescue?"

 **Xxx**

"I knew you guys could do it." Skylar smiled at the others warmly.

"Really? Because there was all sorts of self-doubt at this end." Dani commented.

"Perry was amazing in the tunnels." Skylar continued. "There were tons of rats down there, but when they saw her coming, they just scattered."

"Yeah, she does frighten most living things." Calla agreed, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Hey, you never mentioned how you got stuck in mission command." Bree looked at Skylar. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for everyone's reactions.

"I don't know." I had to stop myself from staring when Skylar lied for me. "I guess the hyperlift just broke."

"Again?" Calla sighed. "I'm gonna have to take a look at it."

"I'm sure Chase can." Skylar commented. I nodded stiffly, still surprised by the way Skylar was covering for me.

"Fine then." Calla shrugged, accepting it. She glanced at the rock wall behind us. "I should go direct maintenance crews to handle this."

Most of the others walked away as well, leaving me with Perry and Skylar. "You got lucky. If Skylar won't snitch, your secret's safe with me. For now."

I watched as Perry followed after the others, before turning to Skylar. "Why?" I asked, confused. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I get it. When I lost my powers, I lost my identity." She explained. "I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone."

"Thank you." I told her sincerely. She smiled, then hefted her mission bag over her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here." She replied.

 **Skylar's POV**

"You know what?" Kaz commented, walking into the kitchen, carrying a case of water bottles. He started distributing them. "We're two for two on missions. You know what that calls for."

He went to pull out his phone, but Calla snatched it out of his hands before he could. "We said no." She insisted sternly before placing it on the table in front of her.

"You don't deserve water." He grumbled, handing the water bottle he was going to give her of to me.

"So, what did you guys think of your first missions?" Bree inquired, looking at us.

"Honestly, I was just happy to be out there again." I admitted. "Being a hero is what I was born to do."

"And what I was implanted with a chip by an egotistical millionaire to do." Bree added with a smirk.

"We just touched a space rock." Dani commented. Calla opened her mouth to add something, but then sighed.

"Yeah, I don't have powers." She admitted.

"You're a good mascot though." Dani teased. Calla looked at her, offended, then hit her in the stomach with a throw pillow.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." Chase declared, walking down the stairs. He sat down on the couch next to Calla. "I've decided to take on a new role. Team Member."

"Awesome." Oliver grinned. "Now Dee can be leader. Or Kaz, or Bree, or Calla, or me." They all a grinned at the idea.

"No one's going to be leader!" Chase snapped. Calla laughed and put her hand on his knee, calming him slightly. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Because any one of us can step up and take control when needed. You all proved that today."

"Wow, Chase, I'm really impressed." I complimented him. Letting go of something like that wasn't easy, especially considering how hard he'd fought for it.

"Scooch!" Perry suddenly burst in and sat between Calla and Chase, forcing the couple apart. They both looked at her, annoyed.

"Why are you still here?" Calla asked bluntly. Perry smirked.

"I'm going to let Chase answer that." The woman replied smugly. Chase looked down, embarrassed.

"I told Perry that I wanted her to stay." He replied. Or, in other words, Perry blackmailed him into letting her stay.

"Why?" Bree demanded.

"Well, by helping Skylar through the tunnels, she proved that she could be a valuable support member for the team, so I talked to Mr. Davenport and he set her up with an apartment." He blanched. "Right next door."

Calla and Bree both groaned as Perry jumped off the couch and proceeded to try and drag the large blue chair out of the room. With Dani still sitting in it. "What are you doing?" The short-haired girl demanded, twisting around in the seat.

"My pad ain't gonna furnish itself!" Perry exclaimed as she began to drag the chair (and Dani) into the hall.

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, you know the drill: you read, you review, I get more and more excited with every review I get. Seriously, I want to know what you guys thought about it. Anyway, now that we're back to a normal schedule, here's the update plan for the next few chapters:**

 **February 20** **th** **: The List**

 **February 27** **th** **: Coming Through in The Clutch**

 **March 6** **th** **: The Intruder**

 **March 13** **th** **: A Friend in Need**

 **Anyway, I'll see you all next time! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and happy Valentine's Day!**


	7. The List

**Kihonne: Hey everyone, I'm back! And this time, I've brought The List. I know it was one of the more popular episodes of the series, so I'm not going to waste too much of your time by babbling. So, here are the shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **Blah I Say: Thank you for pointing that out. As you might have noticed, I fixed the mistake. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: I guess so, yeah. As for Perry, honestly I wasn't a big fan, so I'm not sure how often she'll appear. And yes, I realized the mistake (it's so much easier to see things like that when you're reading than when you're writing) and it has been corrected. As for my midterms, I think I did well, but we haven't received our marks yet, so I'm not sure.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Actually, your review made it through, but because you reviewed as a guest, the review was withheld for my approval. I have my account set up like that, as a result of some less-than-positive reaction to certain decisions I've made with my stories, such as Alivia's sexuality. You'll see your review around 5 AM tomorrow (EST), as it takes 24 hours to go through my account. Anyway, I'm glad I can make those days a little brighter. I'm glad you like my story so much, and thank you so much for your kind words. I can't wait for the wedding either – it's going to be so much fun. And I hope I did well too – they haven't given us back the results yet, and I don't think I'm going to relax until they do. As for the Rock, you're going to have to wait a little bit for that – that chapter doesn't come out for a while. The List is this week's chapter, and I hope you like it!**

 **LabGirl2001: Thanks, you too! And who says Calla hasn't figured it out – it's entirely possible that she knows and just hasn't said anything yet. And yeah, even though I personally wasn't Perry's biggest fan, I have to agree that there should have been more of her. She's going to make another appearance for sure (though how many I can not say). Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Honestly, if I do have Kaz propose in the story (and not in the time gap between stories), I'm probably going to have him propose like that. As for Calla, it is easy to forget that she spent 90% of her time in the lab, as opposed to out in the field with the rest of the team. But while it may be easy for others to forget, even her own team, Calla certainly remembers. She's almost as inexperienced as the younger members of the team, and without powers, she's definitely at a disadvantage. She'd probably feel more useful back in the lab, and that's something she's going to be dealing with as the story goes on. I'm glad you like the direction I'm going with the story – focusing on Calla and Dani. My plan is to have this season be kinda like Calla's season – including the wedding, I've got a few plots that focus mainly on her this season – while there's going to be a major arc concerning Dani in the second season. I can't say what yet, but 'things are going to get crazy' is a bit of an understatement. I really hope you enjoy the chapter – I put a lot of work and thought into it, and gave it more time than I usually do a chapter, since I know it was one of the most loved episodes in the series. As for the original chapter, I think you're going to like what you see, though that conversation might not be dealt with in the way you expect. That's all I want to say for now, especially since I might be changing the draft I have now quite a bit between now and then. Anyway, I hope you had a good Valentine's Day, and enjoy the chapter.**

 **Eliteforce12: No, I was not dropping hints. Another reader commented on how they expected Chase to propose in a much bigger way, but then realized that something like that would be more like Kaz. That's all. If I do have Kaz propose to Dani, it won't be for a long time, mainly because they're currently 17 years old. Anyway, I think you're going to like what I do with the List, so enjoy the chapter!**

 **Layla347: Thank you.**

 **IAMAGUEST: I did consider showing everyone's reactions, but it would have been weird, since the chapter was supposed to be set a week or so after the last, and they wouldn't wait a whole week to tell everyone. As for the mission leader thing, I'm fifty-fifty on it. Yeah, it is his thing, but I like the character development. And I'm pretty sure he's still in charge, it's just no longer an official position. I mean, in future missions, like in The Attack, he just tells them what to do and they don't argue. The way I'm planning on writing it is that if they'll follow his orders and all, but they're still free to do things they're own way, and if one of them needs to step up and take control of the situation, he won't argue with them. I still want to show that he's a respected member of the team, so I'm going to end up writing it like that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **NightAngel365: Thanks so much!**

 **GU3ST: You are correct, Oliver does have both Cryokinesis and Hydrokinesis. I never said he didn't have them, I'm just more likely to refer to him as the cryokinetic because it contrasts Kaz's powers more than hydrokinetic.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: An on with the chapter!**

 **Crossbow: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"Hey, check it out." Chase announced, walking into the penthouse, carrying a large box in his hands. "Mr. Davenport shipped us a box from Mission Creek."

"As long as he's not in it, then yay!" Bree joked. I laughed, getting up from the kitchen counter with her.

"Awesome." Calla grinned as she opened the box. "He sent us some of our old technology."

"Dude." Kaz shook his head at the girl before snatching a piece of paper from the box. "You're supposed to read the Daven-Card."

He opened it up and read from it. "'Dear Elite Force, I am converting the lab into a nursery for the new baby, so please keep this stuff at the penthouse for me.'"

"He's raising a baby in the basement? That kid's going to have some serious issues." Ollie commented, smirking. Bree and Chase cleared their throats. "Uh, no offense."

I glanced inside the box. There was a small silver box sitting on top of a folded, silvery cloak, along with a silver device and a couple of toy dolls of Bree, Chase, Davenport, and who I could only assume was the other Davenport sibling, Adam.

"What's this?" Skylar questioned, pulling the small box. Inside were two tiny microchips.

"Those are cyber cloaks." Calla explained, taking them from her. "They're cirtual body disguises. They can make you take on anyone's appearance."

"One time, I got stuck looking like Bree, and I had to go to the school dance with Calla's brother." Chase reminisced.

"The same thing happened to me, but with a guy named Barry." Ollie remembered. "Not the cyber cloak thing, texting mishap. It's a long story; I'll tell you later."

"And then Dee and I will tell you how we orchestrated the whole thing." Kaz added with a grin. Ollie glared at us, having not realized before now that we had been responsible for that oh so funny accidental date.

"What's this?" Kaz pulled out a small device from the box.

"Be careful!" Chase warned him quickly. "That's a Neural Scrambler. It can erase someone's memory. Minutes, hours, even years of someone's life."

"Oh, please tell me you did that to someone!" I grinned. That sounded so cool.

"Well, Chase did." Calla commented, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at her fiancé.

"Okay, I've apologized, like, six times for that. And I bought you chocolate." He insisted. Skylar and I exchanged amused looks – oh, we were so getting that story from one of them later.

"So how does this thing…" Kaz pressed a button on the device and a light flashed in his face. He blinked, confused. "What's this?"

"Okay, I'm taking that away before we end up with a five year old Kaz." Calla decided, taking the device from his hands. I grinned, looking at the device. Oh, and I was taking that for a test drive.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Okay, team meeting time." Chase announced, walking into Mission Command. The rest of us were sitting around the cyberdesk, waiting. "Thank you all for coming."

"Honey, we live here. We didn't really have a choice." Calla pointed out.

"Yeah, did you really have to post flyers in the kitchen?" Bree agreed.

"That was Oliver's idea." Chase explained.

"And I think attendance speaks for itself." Oliver grinned.

"Anyway, I have an update about our plan to warn all the superheroes about Roman and Riker." Cahse continued. "By using Kaz' computer password from Mighty Med, we were able to access the encrypted superhero communications network."

"It's a secure way for superheroes to message each other without exposing themselves to the outside world." I explained for those who didn't know. "It's also a great way to share recipes. Red Assassin loved my banana muffins."

"Anyway, using the network, we were able to gather the locations of most of the remaining superheroes." Calla continued, standing up. "It took some time since most of them use civilian cover identities to live undetected. But we were able to locate any and all superheroes who've accessed the network since Mighty Med was destroyed."

"That reminds me," Kaz piped up. "I have a civilian cover now. Secretly, I'm Kaz, a fire-powered superhero. But to the world, I'm Matchhead, a mild-mannered, regular Joe."

"Matchhead?" Bree repeated. "So your civilian cover has a superhero name?"

"Dude, I know, like, four Matchheads." Kaz reasoned.

"Anyway, here's the list." Calla pressed a button on the cyberdesk, and a list of names and locations appeared above us. To our dismay, there were only ten names on there. Before Roman and Riker, there had been at least eighty active superheroes.

"Scarlet Ace, Frostbite, Temperament…Spotlight." Dani let out a breath. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Hey, Crossbow's on here." I smiled widely, noticing her name sitting between Captain Atomic and Defroster. "She taught me everything I know about being a superhero. She was my first real friend on Earth."

"But I was your first best friend, right?" Dani asked.

"No, not even close." I replied. She frowned, but didn't comment on it. "Look, she's living undercover right here in Centium City." I smiled. "I can't wait to see her. It's been years."

"I'm sorry, Skylar, but no meeting up with the superheroes." Chase told me apologetically. "We never know who's watching, and we can't take the risk of exposing their true identity."

"But Crossbow's in danger." I argued.

"Every hero is in danger." He reminded me, not unkindly. "That's why using the network is the safest option."

"We can get the word out to everyone at once, without putting them at risk, and confirm when they receive it." Calla added.

"Okay." I sighed. They were right, I suppose. "I guess I won't get to see my friend. But I still have you, right Dani?" I asked, turning to the closest of the girls.

"Not even close." She retorted, getting up and sitting between Bree and Calla.

 **Dani's POV**

"I'm Bree, whoosh, whoosh." Calla, Chase, and I all stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring at Kaz as he played around with dolls Davenport had sent us. "I'm Chase…smart, smart."

"What are you doing?" I asked, amused. Kaz looked up, surprised, but didn't try to hide the dolls.

"Dude, put those down." Chase scolded.

"Why?" Kaz questioned, confused. "They're just dolls."

"Action figures!" Chase insisted. Kaz gave him a look.

"Dude, I've been on that side of the argument. It's a losing battle." My boyfriend advised. "Let's just admit it; we like dolls."

"It takes a real man to admit that." Calla complimented, walking past us on her way to the kitchen. Chase looked at her grumpily, then snatched the dolls away from him.

"Action figures." The smarter boy hissed. I laughed lightly, then joined Kaz on the couch.

"So, that new X-men movie comes out next week, and I wanna go see it." I told him, swinging my legs up onto his lap. "Wanna make a date of it?"

"Sure. If I get to pick where we eat." He reasoned. I opened my mouth to protest, but he quickly cut me off. "I will make sure they have vegetarian options."

"Okay." I grinned as Skylar and Bree walked in from Mission Command.

"Hey guys." Bree greeted.

"Hey, has Crossbow responded to her message yet?" Skylar inquired.

"No, but almost everyone else has." Chase replied. Kaz grinned.

"The system's working, and it's all thanks to Match Head." He complimented himself. I frowned at him.

"All you did was give Chase your password, which you only remembered because you copied my password so you didn't have to remember one." I pointed out.

"He did?" Chase asked, confused. I nodded. "Dani, why is your password DaniStayOutOfMyStuff?"

"Because I copied Ollie's password so I wouldn't have to remember one." I replied simply. He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head.

"Something's wrong. She should've checked in by now." Skylar worried.

"Don't worry, Skylar. I'm sure Crossbow will get her message soon." Bree assured her.

"And what if she doesn't?" Skylar shook her head, clearly concerned. "She's here in Centium City, which also happens to be the last known location of Roman and Riker. They could be tracking her down just like they did with us."

"Skylar, calm down. Chase and I both did the math, and this is the best and safest way to spread the word." Calla promised her. Chase nodded in agreement.

"There's a 98% chance that the message will get to her." He agreed.

"Which means there's a two percent chance that it won't." Skylar stood her ground. She went to storm off, but Kaz stopped her.

"Hold on." He frowned for a moment, then his face cleared. "No, two percent. That's right."

She shook her head in frustration and stormed off onto the veranda. "Should someone go talk to her?"

"I volunteer Ollie." I spoke up. They all looked at me. "Oh, please. Despite what she says, she likes him best. He'll have the best chance of talking her out of doing something stupid."

 **Skylar's POV**

I sighed, leaning against the wall of the veranda. I didn't know what to do. I'd always been trained to follow orders, and despite the fact that he'd given up the official title, it was still pretty clear that when push came to shove, Chase would lead this team. Not to mention, it felt like everyone else on the team agreed with him. But Crossbow could be dead already for all I knew.

"Hey Skylar." I looked over my shoulder to see Oliver walking up behind me, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. "I just got back from the gym. I blasted the old delts."

I smiled lightly as he stretched his legs. "Your delts are up there." I informed him, pointing at the upper part of his arm.

"So you've noticed." He grinned back at me. I rolled my eyes. "You're still worried about Crossbow, aren't you?"

He always could tell. "How could I not be?" I sighed as he walked over and leaned against the wall besides me. "So many of our friends are dead. There were ten names on that list, Oliver. Ten."

"Yeah, I know." He agreed. "Jaime, Alan, Philip, Liv…none of them were on it."

"We lost them all when Mighty Med was destroyed," there was no denying it anymore. If they hadn't been on the list, they were gone. "But we had no way of seeing that coming. If something happens now, and I know I could have warned her, I'll never be able to live with myself."

"I know." Oliver nodded.

"What if Crossbow doesn't get that message, and Roman and Riker get to her before we do?" I thought aloud. I sighed in defeat, ducking my head. "I don't know what to do, Oliver."

He put his hand on my shoulder. "I do." I looked up, surprised. "You're going to find Crossbow, and I'm coming with you."

"Really?" He was going to help me with this, against everyone else's wishes?

"Yeah. We'll just get her location off the superhero list." He smiled at me. "As long as we're careful and quick about it, no one will even know."

"So it'll be like our little secret." I smiled back.

"Yeah." He nodded. I lunged forward, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back, then I felt his muscles move.

"Are you flexing?" I asked, not pulling away.

"…Possibly." He admitted. I laughed and pulled away, then grabbed his hand.

"Come on." I told him, leading him down to mission command.

 **Xxx**

"Alright, according to the list, Crossbow's civilian cover name is Angela Conner. She's a groundskeeper." Oliver read off his phone. He looked around at the huge part. "This place is huge, there's no way we're ever going to find-"

"There she is!" I exclaimed, grinning when I caught sight of Crossbow. She was standing near a tree, sweeping up a pile of leaves. Despite the fact that she was wearing a Normo uniform – specifically a blue-ish green groundskeeper's uniform – I recognized the African-American superhero instantly. Her black, curly hair was swept over her shoulders, leaving her face visible. Her brown eyes widened when she saw me.

"Skylar?" She questioned, dropping her rake.

"Crossbow!" I exclaimed. She started towards me, then stopped when she saw Oliver.

"Uh, no. I have never heard that name before." She said, trying and failing at making her lie sound believable, or smooth in the slightest. When she spoke, the words came out in a monotone, obviously forced. "My name is Angela Connor, and I am a groundskeeper here at the Centium City Community Park."

"She's good." Oliver commented sarcastically. "That sounded real natural."

I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. "It's okay, Crossbow." I assured my friend. "He's with me. He's a superhero too."

She looked at him skeptically. "Seriously? Are we just letting anybody in?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I agreed. She laughed and stepped forward to hug me. I hugged her back tightly, then pulled away and sat down on a bench below the tree. "I was so worried about you, Skylar. I wasn't sure if you made it out of Mighty Med alive, but judging by you sitting here, breathing and stuff, I guess you did."

"That's not the only surprise I have for you." I grinned. "I got my powers back."

"No way!" Crossbow exclaimed, beaming. "How?"

"Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it." I heard Oliver mutter from behind me. But I had to.

"This amazing bionic guy named Chase." I told her. She smirked.

"He's the cute one on TV right?" She questioned.

"He's also engaged." I told her before she could get any ideas.

"Oh well. More fish in the sea, I suppose." She shrugged. Oliver stepped in.

"Look, Crossbow, the people who destroyed Mighty Med are in Centium City," He told her, "hunting down superheroes, including you."

"You found the people who destroyed Mighty Med?" She demanded. Oliver nodded and handed her his phone, showing her a blurry-ish image of the two shapeshifters.

"Roman and Riker. Roddiseus' kids. They're shapeshifters who can fuse together to form an incredible powerful black swarm." I filled her in. "So if you see them, don't try to fight them alone."

"Yeah. Alright." She nodded.

"Skylar," I looked up at Oliver. He jerked his head towards the park entrance, "we better get back before someone realizes we're gone."

I nodded, knowing he was right. Crossbow and I both got up. "Take care of yourself." I told her, giving her one final hug.

"I'm so glad I got to see you again, Skylar." She replied. "We'll have to get together when all this blows."

"Definitely." I agreed.

"And thanks for the heads up." Crossbow added, nodding at Oliver appreciatively. Oliver and I started away from her, but I stopped a few feet away.

"Thank you, Oliver. Really." I told him, taking his hand again.

"My pleasure." He assured me.

"The pleasure's all mine." We spun around at the sound of another's voice. Behind us stood Roman, the older of the two brothers.

"Come on! Seriously?" Oliver held up our still clasped hands. "We're having a moment!"

I pulled my hand away, staring at Roman. "Is that one of the guys you just showed me?"

"Yeah, this is…" Oliver paused. "I wanna say Riker."

"Roman." The villain corrected with a roll of his eyes.

"So close." Oliver muttered.

"Nice work. You played right into my hands." Roman sneered, beginning to pace. "And as a thank you, I'm gonna let you watch your friend perish."

"I don't think so." Crossbow retorted. She reached down and ripped her uniform off with a single pull, revealing the black and red superhero suit underneath.

"Velcro." Oliver hummed, impressed. "Smart."

"Stand down." Crossbow said to us. "He's mine."

She raised her right hand, and a golden, high-tech crossbow slid out of her glove, assembling itself. "You know what's the worst thing about being a groundskeeper?" She questioned, glaring daggers at Roman. "After I fill you with arrows, I'm going to have to clean up the mess."

Without another moment, she shot an arrow at Roman's chest, not holding anything back. He reacted instantly, spinning around, ripping a street sign from the ground, and used it to deflect the arrow back at Crossbow. She dodged it with ease, but looked a little surprised to see him react so smoothly.

"My turn." He smirked cockily. He spun around again, this time generating power, the energy flowing directly into the metal sign, before he propelled it right at Crossbow. She tried to leap out of the way, but as she hadn't been expecting it, she didn't get away in time. The sign knocked her flat on her back, the air rushing from her lungs.

"Crossbow!" I shouted, rushing towards her. I knelt next to her, making sure she was okay, before glaring at Roman.

 **Dani's POV**

"He seriously that?" I laughed as Calla, Bree, and I walked into the penthouse, smoothies in our hands. Calla nodded, smiling.

"And this was, like, a week after they started going out too." Bree added, giggling. Chase looked up from the book he was reading.

"What are you guys talking about?" He asked. We all looked at each other and started laughing. "What?"

"Nothing." Calla replied, a smirk on her face as she headed for the hyperlift.

"No, tell me!" The boy insisted, only making us laugh more.

"I want to check the list again, see if anyone else has responded." I commented, following Calla into the hyperlift.

"Seriously, what are you guys laughing at me for?" Chase called just before we sped down into mission command.

"I can't believe he erased your memory right after you started dating." I smirked. "I mean, that's something you do after you've screwed up a relationship not before."

"I know, right?" Calla smirked as we stepped out. "Oh, hey Kaz."

Kaz spun around, turning his back to the cyberdesk. "Oh, hey…you guys."

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Um…" He thought for a moment. "I just wanted to go over the superhero location list one more time."

"Why?" Calla questioned.

"To make sure there's no typos." He explained. Calla and I exchanged looks.

"Bree was telling me earlier about how the last time you texted her, you misspelled LOL." Calla said cautiously, frowning. "Why are you so worried about typos?"

"Just pull up the list." Kaz insisted harshly.

"Alright, chill." I walked past him to open up the cyberdesk. "There's no need to snap."

"It's fine. He's probably still cranky because Chase took away his dolls." She teased. Kaz gave her a blank look.

"What does that even mean?" He questioned, confused. That made us stop. How did he not know what she meant? I mean, unless he accidently wiped his memory with that neural scrambler, but I thought Calla hid that away to avoid just that.

"Uh, the dolls? The ones you were just playing with earlier?" I prompted. He nodded, still looking confused.

"Oh, right." He paused before adding, "Those were, um, very special to me."

Okay, that was just plain weird. Calla put her hand on my arm, gently pushing me away from him.

"Hey, Kaz, what did those dolls look like?" She questioned suspiciously. He froze, unsure of the answer, and that was all the confirmation we needed. Calla whipped her plasma gun, aiming it at his forehead. "Who are you?"

Kaz flipped into the air, shapeshifting mid-air, first into a cloud, then into the younger of the evil shapeshifting brothers. "Riker."

"I'm taking that list." He informed us. "The only question is, how much I have to hurt you to get it."

 **Skylar's POV**

"Right now, my brother's retrieving your list of superheroes and taking out the rest of your team." Roman sneered. "So congratulations. You're all failing at the same time."

I grit my teeth together. Oliver got to his feet. "You protect Crossbow." He told me, clenching his fists. "I'll take him out with my super strength."

He glared at Roman, who only looked amused. "You're going down." He said before charging at Roman, screaming. Roman kicked him hard in the gut, sending Oliver sprawling back down to the ground.

"A for effort." I told him, patting his shoulder before getting up myself. "You're really getting on my nerves." I growled to Roman.

I charged at him, swinging my fists at his head. He dodged the blows, spinning around to try and take me off guard. It worked a bit, as he did manage to jab me right in the stomach. I stumbled back, into the bench we'd been sitting on earlier, but before he could get another punch in, I leapt into the air, landing on top of the bench with steady feet before attempting to kick him in the head. The first kicked missed, so I tried again, only for him to grab my leg with a steel-like grip. He flipped me over his shoulder and slammed me into the ground as hard as he could. I groaned in agony, writhing on the ground as he stepped over me, heading for Crossbow.

"Come here." He growled, forcing her to her feet. He raised a glowing, purple fist. "Say goodbye to your besties."

"Roman, wait!" I turned my head to see Riker race into the park. "Don't do it."

"Why not?" The older brother demanded.

"I've got the list, but they've already sent out the alert." Riker explained. "The other superheroes know we're coming. Let's keep her alive so we can use her as bait, to draw them to us."

"Good idea." Roman dropped his fist, then ducked down and lifted Crossbow over his shoulder. He rolled his eyes when she tried to protest that she was capable of walking, "shut it!"

"Don't move!" Oh, thank goodness. Just then, Chase, Bree, Calla, and Dani all raced into the park, ready for a fight.

"They must have followed me." Riker cursed.

"They'll be sorry they did." Roman replied as Oliver and I climbed to our feet. Roman tossed Crossbow to the side like she was a ragdoll, then held his arm out to his brother. Riker took it, and the two prepared to attack.

"Watch out!" I shouted, backing up slightly. "They're making their swarm."

But then, something weird happened: nothing. They didn't transform, they didn't attack, they didn't do anything. "…Why isn't it working?" Roman hissed after a moment.

"Probably because I'm not Riker." Riker smirked before punching Roman in the gut. Roman dropped to the floor, much to the other's pleasure. Riker, or not-Riker, raised his hand to his neck, where he pressed down on a faint, silver colored, translucent square. Suddenly, his entire body changed, transforming into Bree's.

"What?" Oliver questioned, confused. He looked over at the Bree standing between Chase and Dani, but she too raised her hand to her neck and transformed, this time turning into Kaz.

"You just got cyber-cloaked!" Bree mocked, smirking.

"That's right! And I was Bree!" Kaz chuckled.

"Why?" I asked the obvious questioned. He shrugged.

"I don't know. I just really wanted to use the cyber cloak." He explained. Roman slowly got up, looking between all of us.

"Where's my brother?" He questioned. Dani smirked and crossed her arms.

"Locked in an industrial freezer." She said cockily. "That way, he can't shape-shift his way out."

"Give up, Roman." Calla advised. "You've been outsmarted and outnumbered."

Roman looked at us, frowning angrily when we all circled him, blocking his escape in every direction. Then, he leapt into the air, flew above our heads, and landed just behind Oliver and I, just a couple of feet away from Crossbow. She tried to get up and get away, but he grabbed her first, forcing her to her feet and holding a purple, glowing fist in front of her face. "Well, this is interesting." He commented, eyeing us.

"Let her go, Roman." Oliver told him, glaring. Roman smirked a little.

"How about a trade?" He proposed.

"Crossbow for your brother." Dani nodded. He laughed darkly and shook his head.

"Crossbow for my brother, and the list." He countered.

"That's not a fair trade." Oliver refused.

"Yes, because up to this point, he seemed like such an honorable guy." Bree commented sarcastically.

"Don't do it." Crossbow struggled against Roman's grip, but there was a fierce look on her face. "It's not worth it."

"To them it might be." Roman looked directly at me. "That's my offer. Take it, or say goodbye to Crossbow forever."

"Stop." I said quickly as he pulled his arm back, more energy swirling around it. "We'll take the deal."

I glanced back at the others, and though they didn't look like they were happy about it, no one argued with me. "Skylar, please don't." I looked back at the sound of Crossbow's voice. She looked at me imploringly. "If Roman and Riker get that list, they'll take out every superhero on it."

"She's got a point." Calla murmured.

"We'll find a way to stop them." I insisted.

"And what if we can't?" Chase challenged. "You're putting the life of one hero over all the rest."

"I can't just let her die." I insisted. "If she were your friend, you'd take the deal."

"She's right." Dani agreed. I nodded at her, grateful to have at least one friend on my side.

"I'm with Skylar." Oliver added. Chase sighed, then nodded at me to continue.

"I'll get Riker and the list." Bree offered, before speeding off. She returned half a second later, one hand holding a memory stick, and the other gripping onto the sleeve of a very cold-looking Riker.

"Good choice." Roman commented. "Let him go."

Bree pushed Riker forwards and he walked over to his brother, scowling at us angrily.

"Now the list." Roman continued.

"Crossbow first." I retorted. Roman glanced at her, then at me.

"Same time." He decided.

"Don't do it!" Crossbow protested. She looked at me. "Skylar, you've done all you could to protect me. Just keep the other heroes safe."

"No." I shook my head. "I'm just going to let you die."

I took the list from Bree and placed it in Roman's hands. Like he promised, he released Crossbow, shoving her forward towards us. "This is it!" He proclaimed, smirking. "Everything we need to wipe out the rest of these pathetic heroes."

He looked at his brother, then tossed the memory stick into the air, towards him. "You keep this safe."

Everything seemed to slow down then, and I watched as Crossbow raised her weapon and shot an arrow towards the stick. It hit its target with pinpoint accuracy, destroying the memory stick mid-air. "No!" Roman shouted in fury before spinning and shooting a blast of energy at Crossbow. It hit her before anyone could react, throwing her into a nearby rock. She hit it hard and slid to the ground, unmoving.

"Crossbow!" I screamed, rushing towards my friend. I knelt down next to her, looking at her hopelessly. She looked hurt, bad, with a deep looking gash in the side of her head. "Crossbow!"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Don't…let them…win." She managed to gasp before her entire body went limp, her head rolling.

"No, no, no!" I murmured, shaking her to try and wake her up.

"She doesn't have a pulse." Kaz murmured quietly, checking her wrist.

"One superhero down." I heard Roman brag. I stood up, shaking in anger. "And now, time to exterminate the rest. List or no list."

That was it. I leapt towards them, catching their fists as they tried to fight back, then flipped backwards and used my super speed to push them away as hard as I could. They stumbled backwards and I smirked, remembering when Crossbow taught me that move, during my first few days a superhero. Before they could properly recover, I sent a powerful wave of energy their way, knocking them back to the ground.

"Forget this!" Riker shouted, climbing to his feet. "I'm out!"

True to his word, he left, shapeshifting into a bird and flying away as fast as his wings could carry him. "Riker!" Roman shouted, clearly pissed. "Get back here, you coward!"

He looked at us, then back in the direction of his brother. "This isn't over." He told us, before shapeshifting into a crow and flying away. "Skylar." Dani called me back over to the group. I walked over, staring at Crossbow's body.

"We should…" Chase glanced at me. "We should get her out of here."

"Right, yeah." I nodded, bending down to help.

 **Xxx**

I couldn't break my gaze away from Crossbow's prone body, lying on top of the cyberdesk. She was dead, and she would still be alive right now if I hadn't gone to find her.

"Crossbow sacrificed herself so that others could live." Bree told me, trying to make me feel better. "She's a true hero."

"This is all my fault." I murmured.

"Skylar, that's not true." Chase promised me. "No one blames you."

I turned to look at him. "Well, you should. I messed everything up."

"No, I was the one who offered to take you to Crossbow." Oliver commented, crossing his arms. "I just couldn't stand to see you hurting."

"Thanks, Oliver." I placed my hand on his arm. "But I started this. And now I have to live with it."

There was a long moment of silence, then, "Oh my God, we're all idiots."

We all turned to look at Dani, confused. She was grinning ear to ear. "Okay, Dee, we're gonna need a little more than that to figure out why you're smiling." Kaz told her. She turned to Oliver.

"Crossbow's gloves, they're powers by Horologrian pearls, right?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye. Oliver frowned at her, confused for a moment, then it cleared

"Just like the self-regeneration paddles at Mighty Med." He realized. "Dani, that's genius!"

"I have my moments." The short-haired girl smirked.

"What are they talking about?" Bree whispered to Calla. She shrugged, watching the siblings like a hawk.

"Do you guys think we can use the energy from Crossbow's gloves to repair the damage to her body?" Kaz guessed.

"It's worth a shot." Oliver nodded. The rest of us watched as Kaz and Dani each pulled off one of Crossbow's gloves. But before they could do anything with them, Oliver stopped them. "Wait, I just thought of something. The gloves will just direct the energy away from her body, not into it like we need them to."

"Turn them inside out?" Kaz looked at Dani. She shrugged and followed his lead, turning the gloves inside out before slipping Crossbow's hands back into them. Almost immediately, her body began to shake violently, golden waves us energy flowing through her veins. She stilled after a moment, only for her to sit up, gasping for breath. She looked around in confusion, while we all stared.

"Holy crap." Bree stated, staring with wide eyes.

"I don't believe it!" I laughed in amazement as Dani help Crossbow sit up.

"You…" Calla furrowed her brow in confusion, "…You brought her back from the dead by turning her gloves inside out?"

"Superheroes." Chase shook his head. "I give up."

 **Dani's POV**

"Seriously, that's not even scientifically possible!" A couple of hours later, and Calla still couldn't stop staring at Crossbow. It was pretty funny, actually. "I mean…" She glanced at me and my brother before turning back to the hero in question. "You seriously learned that at Mighty Med."

"Yes." Ollie sighed for millionth time. Calla nodded, frowning.

"I should go." Crossbow announced, getting up from the kitchen counter, where and Skylar had spent the last couple of hours chatting.

"You're not staying?" Skylar sounded disappointed.

"Sorry, but now that my civilian cover's been blown, it's time I moved on." She told her friend apologetically. She looked over at me, Ollie, and Kaz. "Thank you for saving my life."

"No problem." We replied. Skylar gave her friend a hug.

"Come back any time." She told her. "And if you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask."

"Right back at you. Call me if you guys need anything." Crossbow replied. She looked at us. "And good luck against Roman and Riker."

"Thanks." "Bye." We said, watching her leave, just as Chase came up from mission command.

"Good news." He announced. "All of the superheroes on the list have received our encrypted message and responded."

"Thank goodness." Bree sighed in relief.

"But that still leaves the bad news." Kaz reminded her. "Roman and Riker are still out there."

"And something tells me that they're not giving up." I added sullenly.

 **Roman's POV**

"This is all your fault!" I hissed to Riker as our father paced around us. He was angry, that was much was obvious, and it was all because Riker was too much of a coward to fight Skylar Storm.

"I don't care whose fault it is." Our father snapped at me as he paced. "First you fail to procure the list of superheroes, and then you fail to capture even one member of this so-called Elite Force."

"We'll get them." I promised. "We just need more time."

"We don't have more time!" He roared at me.

"We did kill another superhero." Riker pointed out.

"And you think that matters?" Father snapped. "There's not enough left for them to be a threat."

He looked at me in disgust. "It was a mistake to think that I could count on you, my eldest son, to make your father proud."

"Just tell us what to do. We can take down the Elite Force." I insisted.

"You've done enough. It's time to switch things up." Father smiled darkly. "This time, the Elite Force won't know what hit them."

 **Kihonne: Alright, what did you guys think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? Let me know! Reviews fuel my desire to write. Well, and cookies, but those are really hard to send over the site, so let's stick with reviews. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **February 27** **th** **: Coming Through in The Clutch**

 **March 6** **th** **: The Intruder**

 **March 13** **th** **: A Friend in Need**

 **March 20** **th** **: The Rock**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys next week! Until then, don't forget to read, review, and have a good one!**


	8. Coming Through in the Clutch

**Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm back, with Coming Through in the Clutch! But before I get onto the chapter itself, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **IAMAGUEST: Thanks! As for who will be hosting the Q &As, I have a fun little idea that I think everyone's going to enjoy. But whether Rebeccka hosts or not, she will be making at least one more appearance in the story, I promise.**

 **Algernon23: Thank you so much. I really appreciate the compliment. I'm glad you're excited about what I have planned – I am too – and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **LabGirl2001: Well, I am following the episode order. The only different is that A Friend in Need is between the Intruder and The Rock. I'm glad you liked it, and that scene. As for which chapter Chase zapped her memory in, it was chapter 22, Memory Wipe.**

 **Darth Becky 726: Yes, he definitely is that creepy. Yes, actually. A couple of other bionic academy friends are going to be making short appearances. I hope you liked it. And thank you for the internet cookies! Enjoy the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Yes, he lives. Thanks, and I hope you like this chapter too.**

 **Layla347: Thanks! Enjoy!**

 **Avaoreo1112: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. It sucks having the flu – my little brother's got it too. I hope you get better soon, and if you're not better by now, here's another chapter to distract you from the illness.**

 **Blah I Say: Thanks. I like putting in little reminders here and there from the past – it's fun. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Thank you so much for your kind words. I really hope you like this chapter, and have good week yourself.**

 **Layla: Well, I always welcome new readers and reviewers, so thank you very much. As for the Return of Heroes, that story is currently on HIATUS. Mostly due to writer's block, but also because I want to put my sole focus on the Elite Force series, especially since, by the end of March, I'll be posting and working on two stories in the series. I will eventually go back to it – I have no intention of abandoning the story – but for the time being, it's taking a break. Sorry to disappoint.**

 **EliteForce12: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **GU3ST: Hi…?**

 **SzymonS: Thanks. Fight scenes aren't easy to write, you know, but I've always felt that I did at least a half-decent job at them. And yes, the original chapter is coming up. I'm excited about it. As for the characters mourning, I'd like to point out, with the exception of Skylar, none of them were Crossbow's friend. Calla, Chase, and Bree met Crossbow for the first time that night, and ten minutes later she was dead. Oliver, Dani, or Kaz may have treated her for injuries or such at Mighty Med, but judging by the way Crossbow and Oliver interacted on the actual show, I highly doubt that. So the only one who had any real connection to Crossbow would have been Skylar. While the others might not be happy that Crossbow is dead, but as they barely knew her and had no reason to be emotionally attached to her yet, them mourning her wouldn't have made very much sense. As for Skylar, she did take Crossbow's death hard, evident in the way she blamed herself, but Skylar's not the type to start balling her eyes out, so I saw no reason to change the way she showed her grief for her friend. So. I felt that the amount of emotion in that scene was quite accurate. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Bob: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, Rio, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Bree's POV**

"So, Skylar get any word from Crossbow?" Chase was asking Dani as I walked into the kitchen. It was early in the morning, only about seven, but everyone was already up. Chase and Dani were in the kitchen, eating, Kaz was playing video games in the living room, Skylar was still getting dressed, Oliver was lying on his bed with the door open, reading something on his phone, and Calla was pacing around her bedroom, on the phone with someone.

"Yeah, actually." Dani nodded, taking a sip from her orange juice. "She's heading out east for a bit. She's trying to track down some vigilante archer who's been playing hero for the past few months."

"I didn't know there were any other archer heroes." I commented, sitting down.

"Not that I know of, but he could be new." Dani shrugged. "He sounds new, anyway."

"Cool." I grabbed a couple of pancakes from the big plate in the middle of the table. "So, anyone got plans-"

I was cut off when Calla raced down the stairs and tackle-hugged Chase from behind, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "Good morning to you too." Chase chuckled, bemused.

"What's with you?" Dani asked, trying not to laugh at Calla's enthusiasm.

"Remember that government contract I was trying to score?" She asked quickly, loosing her grasp on Chase. She grinned. "Score! People, I just made 4 million dollars."

"What?" "Seriously?" "Dude, shopping spree!" "4 million?" We all stared at her. She took a breath, calming herself, before sitting down.

"They liked my design for the new Para-Blaster. It's ten times more powerful than the Paragun, but still non-lethal and won't seriously injure the suspect." She explained, grabbing a glass of juice. "And once you take away the production costs, including what I'm paying Davenport to rent one of his factories to produce the weapons, and shipping costs, it's a little over four million. I'm a millionaire." She looked like she didn't believe it herself.

"Then we should go shopping." I insisted. Calla shook her head.

"Millionaires don't stay millionaires by spending their money. I'm investing it in a new project." She explained. I sighed, disappointed.

"What kind of project?" Chase asked, interested. Calla hesitated.

"It's a surprise, actually. But it's big. I'm probably going to have to sell a few more of my gadgets, but I'm going to submit a few things to the Call next month, so money won't be an issue for long." She considered, taking a bite of her pancakes. "But it's definitely going to be worth it."

"Guys!" I looked up as Oliver raced down the stairs. "I just found out they're having an Olympic send-off celebration at the park this afternoon!"

"Ooh, will there be a piñata?" Kaz grinned. "Because if so, my candy-whacking arm is locked and loaded."

"It's a pep rally where the fans can meet Olympic athletes before they fly off to compete in the Games." Oliver explained, taking a seat next to his sister. "And best of all, Clutch will be there."

"That's awesome!" Chase exclaimed, overly enthusiastic. "I have no idea who that is."

"He's only the greatest weightlifter ever, and a shoe-in to win gold." Oliver explained, grinning excitedly. "They call him Clutch because he always comes through in the clutch."

"And because his real name has fourteen syllables and won't fit on the back of a tank top." Dani added, getting up and moving to the couch.

"I've seen all of Clutch's competitions." Oliver continued. "One year, I even dressed up like him for Halloween."

"Oliver, instead of some meathead jock, why not idolize a real hero?" Chase questioned. "Like a president, or a Nobel-winning scientist, or me."

"Or, you could idolize a cool athlete like Tom Brady." Kaz added. "Or me. I'm great a foosball."

"I can't wait to meet Clutch. Wait, what am I going to say? What am I going to wear? Ooh, I wonder if my Halloween costume still fits!" Oliver exclaimed. He rushed towards the stairs, running into Skylar along the way. "Guess what, Skylar? It's clutch time!" He flexed his arms before running up the stairs. She watched him go, a bemused expression on her face.

"Was he flirting with me, or threatening me?" She asked, looking at us. "I can never tell with this little boy energy."

"Don't worry about him." Dani assured her. "He's just excited to meet his hero, Clutch; he's in the summer Olympics."

"Okay, girl from another planet question: what are the summer Olympics?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"Oh, they're a series of events for the world's best athletes." Chase explained. "The winner takes a gold medal, second takes silver, third takes bronze."

"Oh, we have that where I'm from too. Except on my planet they don't hand out medals." Skylar commented. "On Caldera, if you get second, they melt your bones down to build a podium for the winner."

"Remind me never to go to your planet, like, ever." I commented.

"Anyway, on our planet, the Olympics represent sport in the truest form." Calla continued. "There's pageantry, sportsmanship-"

"And super hit guys from countries I've never even heard of." I added, smirking.

"I've always wanted to compete in the Olympics, but my bionics would give me an unfair advantage." Chase sighed.

"I could arrange for you to compete on my planet." Skylar offered. Chase shook his head quickly.

"Yeah, I'm good." He assured her as Oliver ran down the stairs, dressed in a sports uniform that was about two sizes two small.

"Look, it still fits." He grinned proudly. We all exchanged looks.

"No, it doesn't." Kaz eventually told him, much to Oliver's disappointment."

 **Oliver's POV**

"This is so cool." I grinned, looking around. The whole community park had been dedicated to the Olympic sendoff. Athletes were all over, signing autographs and doing demonstration, while the kids were playing games. Off to the south of the park was a barbeque set-up, obviously preparing food for the days' events. I hefted my 'Clutch's number one fan' sign over my shoulder. "Clutch is going to be here any second. Oh, I'm going to have him sign my bicep!"

"Well, let's hope he has a fine-tip pen." Dani teased. I sent her a look, but she just stuck her tongue out at me.

"Wait, so there's no piñata?" Kaz looked disappointed. He tossed his piñata stick away. "Guess I brought that for nothing."

"Look." Calla gasped. She pointed at a couple of people dressed in white, sparring with long, thin swords. "There's a fencing demonstration."

"I just threw away my stick!" Kaz protested. Chase looked at the fencers longingly.

"I wish I could compete in the Olympics so bad." He sighed. "My laser bow would have this thing locked up."

"Your laser bow would slice them in half." Bree pointed out.

"But I'd win." Chase insisted. Calla laughed and looped her arm through his and led him over to the demonstration, a smile on her face.

"I want a candy-apple." Dani said suddenly.

"Dee, it's not a carnival." I scolded.

"They're selling some over there." Kaz pointed out.

"Well, wait until after-" I stopped midsentence when Clutch walked into the park, surrounded by fans. He was 6'4, overly muscled, and pretty much everything I had wanted to be all my life. "It's Clutch! Over here, Clutch!" I shouted, trying to get the athlete's attention.

"People of Centium City, I give you Clutch!" Clutch called, earning a massive applause. Music began to blast through speakers set up in the trees. "Uh-oh, people, you know what that means! It's time for you to clap while Clutch lifts heavy things."

And so we did. He lifted a bench, a bike rack, and a hot dog cart above his head without breaking a sweat, the motion ridiculously easy for him.

"And now it's time for Clutch to meet some of his fans!" Clutch eventually announced. I grinned, trying to make my way through the crowd, but I kept being pushed back by other fans.

"He can't see me." I muttered. I looked back at Kaz and handed him my sign. "Hold my sign, would you?"

I pushed my way through the crowd, but Clutch was already moving. He swept through the crowd until he reached Kaz, Dani, and Skylar. "Hey, little buddy!" He greeted. "You must be Clutch's number one fan."

I burst through the crowd, knowing that he meant me. "Yes, I am!" I grinned. He gave me a confused look.

"Clutch was talking to the other little dude, little dude. At least this guy cared enough to make a sign." He told me. Kaz opened to his mouth to object, but Clutch continued on. "How would you like to be Clutch's honorary spotter at his weight-lifting demo?"

"Me?" Kaz looked at him, surprised.

"Yes, you." Clutch nodded. Kaz thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" He agreed.

"Kaz!" Dani looked at him. He shrugged, then began to follow Clutch through the crowd. He paused and handed me back my sign.

"Oh, here's your sign back, buddy." He offered before disappearing into the crowd of fans.

 **Bree's POV**

"Check it out, there's a mini version of the Olympics for kids." Bree smiled, watching as a few little kids ran past us, carrying plastic torches.

"Sure, let's give everyone a chance to compete except for Chase." Chase grumbled. "Oh, look, there's a baby. Somebody hand him a javelin."

"Chase, there are millions of people who want to be in the Olympics who won't be." Calla reminded him. "I mean, you'd have to be someone with impressive physical abilities like- Rio and Bob?"

I followed her gaze to see two of our old friends from the academy, Rio and Bob, standing near the kids, watching with grins.

"Bob? Rio?" I walked over to them. Bob looked up at me, beaming.

"Bree!" He exclaimed happily.

"Hey guys. So this is where Davenport sent you?" Rio smiled at us sweetly.

"Why aren't you at the Academy?" Chase demanded.

"Well, we heard about this contest, and Bob and Spin wanted, and I figured they were probably going to go anyway, so someone should go with them to keep them out of trouble." Rio explained.

"Bob?" Calla looked at him for his side of the explanation.

"Well, the winner of the contest and a friend get to run with the Olympic torch." He explained. "I'm gonna win, then invite Bree to run with me, you know, because running is your thing. And, by the way. I'm fourteen now, in case you're still worried about the age difference."

"I'm worried about a lot of things, and age isn't one of them." I retorted. I looked at Rio. "You said Bon and Spin. You're short a kid."

"Oh, no. He's over at the barbeque. I saw him talking to some other kid his age, and figured he could take care of himself." Rio explained. "If he's not back in half an hour, I'll go check on him."

"Guys, first of all, does Davenport even know you snuck off the island?" Calla questioned. "And second of all, Bob, you can't compete in this contest."

"Calla's right. You have bionics; it'd be cheating." I agreed.

"But don't you see?" Bob looked at me imploringly. "We'll carry the Olympic flame, which can never be extinguished, like my love for you."

"Aww." I had to admit, it was very sweet.

"So, you in?" He asked hopefully.

"No." I replied.

 **Oliver's POV**

"I can't believe Clutch chose Kaz to be his honorary spotter." I muttered, glaring at my traitorous best friend as he chatted animatedly with Clutch. Dani had long ditched us in search of something more interesting to do, leaving Skylar to listen to me. "I'm his number one fan! I should be wiping down his sweater barbells!"

"Oliver, let it go." Skylar advised, rolling her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

"It IS a big deal." I insisted. "Look, I have a secret to tell you. I've been using Clutch as motivation to help me get better with my powers." She looked surprised, but didn't say anything. "He has this catchphrase: 'Tap the power within'. Every time I feel like I can't do something, I hear Clutch in my head saying those words and it makes me want to keep going."

"Wow. I never realized how important this was to you." Skylar murmured. "You should go talk to Kaz and explain it. He'll understand."

"I can't. He's a little busy." I jerked my head at him and Clutch. The weight lifter was currently deadlifting Kaz, high above his head.

"Higher! Higher!" The boy was laughing, amused.

 **Bree's POV**

"Hey, Dani." Calla and I greeted as the short haired girl walked over to us. "I thought you were hanging with Skylar and the guys?"

"Well, judging by the atmosphere, Ollie and Kaz are probably going to get in a fight over a weightlifter who speaks in the third person, so I figured I'd come over to avoid being forced to pick a side." She explained. She glanced at Rio. "Oh, hi. I'm Dani."

"Rio Daniels." Rio shook her hand. "You're the superhero, right?"

Dani glanced at us, then nodded slowly. "Oh, don't worry," I assured her, "Rio's bionic."

"Oh, cool." Dani grinned. She looked around. "No Chase?"

"He went to help Bob look for Spin." Calla explained, just as a voice came on over the intercom system in the park.

"Our next competitor in the Mini Olympics shotput event, Bob!" We all looked up in surprise, then looked over to where the shotput event was taking place. Sure enough, Bob was standing where the competitors were, a large, heavy-looking, silver ball in his hand. He held it up to his shoulder, then pushed forward without much effort, and the ball flew over the trees, landing somewhere in the park. People began to applaud, while Bob looked around in confusion.

"Is that good?" The blonde-haired boy asked. "I-I honestly have no idea what I'm doing."

"Bob!" I called, running up to him, the other girls at my heels. "What is going on here? I thought we told you that you couldn't compete in the Mini Olympics because you're bionic."

"I know, but my new coach told me it was okay." He reasoned.

"What new coach?" Rio questioned, frowning. Suddenly, Chase stormed out of the crowd, Spin grinning at his heels.

"Bob!" He scolded. "No talking to lookie-loos. Focus, man. Focus!"

We all exchanged looks. "Chase, honey," Calla looked at him sweetly, "what the hell are you up to this time?"

"Well, since I can't compete in the real Olympics, running with the torch is the closest I'll ever get." He explained. "And since Bree so rudely turned Bob down, I stepped in. I'm gonna run with the torch!"

"No, you're not." I reminded him. "It's cheating."

"Technically, it isn't." Chase smirked. "You see, the real Olympics have very strict rules, but since this is just a rinky-dink challenge for kids, the only rule is 'have fun'."

"Which means Bob can compete." Rio realized. Chase nodded, still smirking.

"Okay, well, it may not be cheating, but it's still not fair." I pointed out. "All these kids, they wanna win, and you're crushing their dreams."

"Yeah, but I'm still gonna run with the torch!" Chase reminded us before beginning to prep Bob for the next event.

 **Oliver's POV**

I grinned, standing in the crowd with Skylar as Clutch addressed the crowd once more. "Fans of Centium City! Today, Clutch is going to do something he's never done before!"

"Refer to himself in something other than the third person?" Skylar muttered under her breath.

"Today, Clutch is going to break his own weight lifting record." Clutch continued, gesturing to a massive barbell nearby. The crowd cooed in awe. "Five hundred pounds on this side and five hundred pounds on that side. Together that's…" He paused, thinking, "…five hundred pounds twice."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Kaz asked the obvious question.

"Of course it's dangerous." Clutch looked at him like he was an idiot. "But as my number one fan, you should know that Clutch always taps the power within. For Clutch, nothing is impossible, except crossword puzzles."

"Then what do I do as your spotter?" Kaz asked, frowning.

"Clutch doesn't really need a spotter." Clutch replied. "Clutch is the strongest man on Earth. You just need to stand there and watch the awesomeness that is Clutch."

"He just worked in fourteen 'Clutches' in three minutes." Skylar muttered, shaking her head before sarcastically adding, "Very impressive."

"Okay, people! Its Clutch Time!" He declared. He stepped towards the barbell, bent down, and gripped the bar tightly. He slowly lifted it onto his shoulders, then about half a foot above his head. But it soon became obvious that he was struggling to keep the bar up.

"Oliver, something's wrong." Skylar hissed.

"Clutch…needs…help…!" Clutch gasped, eyes darting to Kaz in his desperation.

"Kaz, do something!" I snapped. He shook his head helplessly, his eyes wide.

"He said I didn't have to do anything. I can't lift that much." He told me. I looked at Clutch, then made a split second decision.

"I'm coming, big guy!" I shouted, racing up behind him and taking the barbell from him, relieving him of the weight. I held the bar high, giving Clutch plenty of time to recover.

"How are you doing that?" He demanded, staring at me.

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm bionic." I explained. "Oliver, nice to meet you."

I dropped the barbell without thinking, extending my hand to shake his. However, the 500 lbs. weight landed directly on Clutch's foot. He screamed in pain, jumping up and down on his good foot when I removed the weight. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" I exclaimed. "What have I done?"

"Well, at least he knows who you are now." Kaz offered, trying to be helpful.

 **Xxx**

"I'm the worst fan ever." I cried, pacing around the living room. After Clutch had been taken away in the ambulance, Skylar, Kaz, and I had come back to the Penthouse, unwilling to face the dozens of furious fans. Hell, even the camera guys who'd been filming the event looked angry at me. "I dropped hundreds of pounds on Clutch and shattered every bone in his foot."

"Don't sell yourself short." Kaz told me, smirking. "You also broke his ankle."

"Not funny, Kaz." Skylar advised.

"I know." Kaz agreed. He looked at me. "Dude, what were you thinking?"

"Me?" I stared at him. "You knew Clutch was my hero! This never would've happened if you hadn't stolen him away from me!"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? You're right." Kaz apologized. "I got swept up in the moment. It's his muscles; they get me every time."

"The worst part is I let my hero down." I sighed.

"No, the worst part is, you let him down on live television." Kaz corrected. "I mean, who knows how many people were watching that."

"I wish there was something I could do." I sighed, collapsing onto the couch. Skylar stood up, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Maybe there is. Be right back." She sped away using her super speed, only to return a second later, along with Clutch, the injured hero sitting in a wheelchair with heavy bandages surrounding his foot. His legs and arms were tied together, preventing him from moving.

"You abducted Clutch from the hospital?" I demanded, staring at Skylar. She smiled.

"You're welcome." She told me cheerfully.

 **Bree's POV**

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked as Calla and I led her over to Rio and Dani.

"You are going to help us with something, alright?" Rio smiled at her.

"Hey, boys!" Dani called over to Chase, Bob, and Spin. She jerked her head at us, motioning for them to come over.

"Hey guys," I smiled. I patted Zoe's shoulders. "Say hello to Zoe. You know, she really wants to win the mini Olympics, but since you guys are playing unfair, she needs a little help. So we're going to coach her."

"You are?" Spin looked surprised.

"Yep." Dani smirked. "Since you're using your bionics, we're going to use our abilities to make sure that you don't win."

"Isn't that right, Zoe?" Rio smiled.

"I don't even know you guys. I'm supposed to be doing this with my dad." Zoe explained. She pointed at me and Calla. "They just dragged me over here."

"Well, you wanna win, right?" Calla questioned. Zoe nodded. "Then I saw we show them some serious girl power."

"Okay." Zoe grinned widely before approaching Bob. "I'm gonna kick your butt."

Bob gulped, a frightened look on his face, then turned to Chase. "Chase, I'm nervous. Girl power saves me."

"Next up for the long jump is Bob!" The announcer declared just then. Bob moved to stand a few feet away from a sandpit.

"Alright Bob, just remember to use your super strength to push off." Chase advised. Bob nodded, then leapt into the air, but instead of trying to jump as far as he could, he dropped into the sandpit, curling up in a ball mid-air.

"Cannonball!" He shouted, as he crashed into the sandpit. He looked around in confusion, surprised to see that most of the sand in the pit had flew out of it when he landed. "Hey, what happened to all the sand?"

 **xxx**

"Next up, we have Zoe!" The announcer proclaimed.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do." Calla whispered her plan in my ear before turning to Zoe. "Alright, kid, just try to keep your legs out in front of you, and Bree's going to do the rest with her invisibility app."

"You ready?" Rio checked. Zoe nodded.

"Let's do this." She walked over to the starting line. She took a deep breath, then ran towards the pit as fast as she could. She leapt into the air, and I turned invisible. I raced forward and grabbed her arms, keeping her in the air as I walked her forward, making it look like she hadn't finished her jump. I eventually placed her down, a few feet away from the sandpit, making her the clear winner.

"You did it!" Dani cheered loudly as Zoe touched down. I stepped back and turned visible again, after making sure that no one was watching me.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Chase accused.

"I though the only rule was to have fun." Rio reminded him.

"And we're having a blast." I added, crossing my arms with a smirk.

"Come on, Zoe. You deserve some lunch." Calla declared.

"See you later, Sandman!" Zoe called over her shoulder before following us towards the barbeque.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Get Clutch out of here! What is wrong with you people?" Clutch demanded, staring at us like we were psychotic crazy people, and honestly, I couldn't blame him.

"Why would you bring him here?" I turned on Skylar, staring at her.

"I wanted to give you the chance to redeem yourself." She explained, a little surprised by my reaction.

"So you kidnapped him by force?" Kaz looked at her incredulously.

"Well, I tried asking nicely, but he said no. So then I had to ask him to come not so nicely." She gave the athlete a glare.

"Clutch is not having a good day." He muttered.

"You said no regular doctor could fix him. So, I figured why not try some of your old medical devices from Mighty Med." Skylar explained.

"But Clutch isn't a superhero! I wouldn't even know where to start." I shook my head. "I can't do this. We have to take him back to the hospital."

"You're not even going to try?" Kaz looked at me skeptically.

"That's not the Oliver I know." Skylar agreed. She gave me a pointed look. "The Oliver I know would do everything he can to help someone he cares about."

I nodded and gave her a grateful smile. "You're right, I gotta do it, for my hero."

Meanwhile, Clutch was trying to escape all on my own. We turned just in time to see him accidently tip his wheelchair over and crash to the ground with a pained groan. Kaz watched from a foot away. "I am a terrible spotter." He chuckled, shaking his head.

 **Bree's POV**

"After four events, our two finalists for the Mini Olympics are Zoe and Bob! The deciding event is a one mile race around the park!" The announcer declared. I looked over at the two kids and smirked at what I saw. Bob had previously been stretching, readying himself for the race, but when Zoe outdid him by sliding in the splits along the ground, perfectly comfortable in that position, he had given up.

"Hey, guys? Can we call a truce?" Chase said suddenly. We all looked at him. "Look, both sides have used our bionics to our advantage in the past events, so what do you say if, in the spirit of sportsmanship, we make this one fair?"

"You're only saying that because it's a race and you know I'm going to use my super speed to help Zoe win." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I threw in that stuff about sportsmanship, so it's kinda legit." Chase shrugged.

"I agree with him. Not about it being legit," Calla rolled her eyes, "but why not let the kids win on their own this time? No cheating for them."

"No way!" I refused.

"Fine. Go ahead and use your super speed since you obviously think that Zoe can't win on her own." Chase retorted.

"Hey, I can win on my own!" Zoe retorted, storming over to us.

"Oh, really? Because your coaches don't seem to think so!" Spin teased. Zoe looked at us, confused.

"You don't?" She asked, hurt.

"Of course we do." Rio quickly reassured her.

"Which is why none of us are going to use our bionics to help either of you." I added reluctantly, glaring harshly at my brother. He, on the other hand, smirked.

"Okay, guys, if you insist." He replied, walking away with Bob.

"You can do this, okay?" Calla patted Zoe's shoulder before moving off the track to join the crowd. Both of the kids got ready for the race. Chase took this as a chance to give Bob another pep talk.

"Alright Bob, remember what I told you." He said to the blonde haired boy. Bob nodded.

"Keep asking Bree out because it's funny?" He asked. I shook my head at Chase's antics, annoyed.

"No, Bob, 'pace yourself." Chase corrected. He paused. "But yes, you should definitely keep asking her out."

"Chase!" I snapped. He looked at me and smirked, then walked to the other side of the track to watch Bob.

"Alright, runners!" The announcer's voice came on over the intercom. "Get ready, get set…go!"

Both of them took off, running down the path while we cheered them on, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. We were starting to get some weird looks from some of the spectators, after all.

 **Xxx**

A little while later, after moving to the other end of the park, I saw Zoe running far ahead of Bob. "Girl power!" "Go Zoe!" "You got this!" Dani, Rio, Calla, and I all cheered. Spin let out a frustrated groan as he watched his friend run past us, several meters behind Zoe.

"Run, Bob, run!" He shouted as Chase scowled.

"There's no way he can catch up." He muttered. "I've got to do something."

"No!" Calla caught his hand. "We had a deal. We said no using bionics to help our kid win."

"Yes, but we never said anything about using our bionics to make sure the other kid doesn't win."

He didn't wait for her response, instead racing off in the direction of the finish line, Spin hot on his heels. We all exchanged looks, then tore off after them. No way were we going to let them win.

 **Xxx**

When we finally reached the finish line, Zoe had just broke out of the trees, a few feet away from the line. She grinned upon seeing it, and made a dash towards it. "I don't think so!" Chase snapped, raising his hands. Suddenly, Zoe stopped, a confused look on her face as she stared down at her shoes.

"I can't move!" She cried. It took me a split second to realize that he was using his telekinesis to stop her. I was about to stop Chase, but then I saw Bob coming up behind her. He ran past her, towards the finish line, but I couldn't let that happen. I sped forward, zooming Bob back several feet.

"Hey, how did I get back here?" He asked, confused. Spin glared, then sped towards me, spinning, but Dani and Calla each grabbed one of his arms and hoisted him off the ground, leaving his feet kicking in the air.

"No fair, guys!" He exclaimed. Chase tried to make us let go of Spin and Bob, but Rio got to him first. It wasn't long before we were busy fighting each other, Zoe and Bob long forgotten.

We were too busy focusing on each other, we didn't see the two kids break out from behind us and race towards the finish line. In fact, we hadn't even realized they were gone until the announcer's voice hit out ears. "And the winner is Bob!"

"Bob?" Calla repeated, looking over. Chase pulled away from me and jumped for joy.

"I won! The torch is mine!" He declared, snatching the torch away from the girl trying to give it to Bob. He held it up high in victory, only for Bob to steal it away from him.

"Give me that! I don't want to run with you." He told him. We all stopped, surprised.

"You don't?" Chase asked. Spin grinned.

"Well, obviously he wants to run with me." He smirked up at Chase cockily.

"No, I don't." Bob insisted. He turned around and offered the torch to Zoe. "You should run with your dad."

"Really?" Zoe questioned, sounding skeptical. Bob nodded.

"You're the only one who played fair." He reasoned. "And besides, I've decided to retire on top and never run again."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his logic. "Fine by me." Zoe shrugged and ran off towards her father.

"I am so proud of you, Bob." Rio smiled at him. "You did the right thing. You know, this is sportsmanship at its finest."

"Hey, guys!" Zoe ran back to us, a smile on her face. She looked at Spin and Bob. "My dad's going to take me out for ice cream to celebrate. Do you wanna come with?"

"Sure." The boys exchanged looks and followed her. Rio gave us an apologetic look.

"I should probably go with them, make sure we all get back to the Academy before Davenport comes to check in. Kieran can only cover for us for so long."

"It was really good to see you." I hugged her. She hugged me back. "Say hey to Adam for us."

"I will." She hugged Chase, then Calla. "Congratulations, by the way. Everyone's so happy for you guys."

"Thanks Rio." "Bye." We all waved as she trailed after the boys.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Ugh!" I hit the cyberdesk in frustration with one hand, tossing away another piece of medical equipment with the other. We hadn't be able to recover much of the tech from Mighty Med, and none of it appeared to be useful in helping fix Clutch's foot. "We've tried every piece of medical equipment left over from Mighty Med, and nothing has worked. I knew I couldn't fix him."

"We still have this industrial brain drill." Kaz offered, holding up the tool. Clutch looked at it, then gulped.

"That's it, Clutch is calling the police." He decided. He looked over at Skylar. "Can Clutch borrow your phone?"

"Alright, I don't want any of this coming down on you two, so I'll take the fall." I decided. "I guess from now on I'll just have to 'tap the power within' my prison cell."

"Oliver…" Skylar began, but my mind was already racing.

"Tap the power within." I murmured to myself. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Kaz questioned, looking at me closely.

"My cryo-blast! Injured athletes use cryo-therapy all the time." I explained. "They expose their bodies to extremely cold temperatures in order to stimulate muscle fibers and joints."

"Yeah, Dee told me about that a while ago." Kaz remembered. "It speeds up the healing process."

"Exactly." I agreed.

"Oliver, that's a great idea." Skylar smiled. I nodded at her.

"Thanks." I nodded at her. "Now, this is a much more concentrated version, but I think it can work."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Skylar shrugged. "It could freeze every bone in his foot and shatter them like icicles?"

"What?" Clutch looked at her, a little panicked.

"Or it could give him sever frostbite, in which case the entire foot would have to be removed." Kaz reasoned.

"What?" Clutch stared at him, really freaked out.

"Do it, Oliver." Skylar nodded at me. I raised my hand, turning the palm towards Clutch's foot.

"Okay, here goes." I announced.

"No, wait!" Clutch tried to stop me, but I was determined to fix my mistake. I blasted his ankle with a less-powerful blast of my cryoblast. "Clutch cold!"

I used my blast for a couple of seconds more, then backed away. "Kaz, use your fire powers to defrost him." I ordered, nodding at the ice surrounding his ankle.

Kaz raised his hand and created a stream of fire that came very close to Clutch's foot. Not enough to burn him, but enough to melt the ice. "Clutch hot." The athlete complained. Kaz continued on for a little while longer, then stopped the flame and backed away.

Clutch stood up, then tried to put weight on his injured foot. When that caused him no pain, he tried tapping dancing. He stopped abruptly, staring at me in shock. "You fix Clutch!" He exclaimed. He put his hand on my shoulder, then pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "Little dude, you are Clutch's hero."

"Clutch!" I gasped as his hug literally cracked my bones. "You're crushing the power within."

 **Xxx**

"This is so cool." I grinned, trying not to bounce up and down in excitement. "I can't believe you're actually going to sign my bicep."

I held up my arm for him to sign, but he looked at it and shook his head. "Clutch is going to need a fine tip pen."

"I got it." Skylar offered, heading to get one from the desk in the corner. Just then, the doors to the penthouse opened up, and Calla, Chase, Bree, and Dani walked in.

"Hey, guys, remember Clutch?" Kaz called to them. Dani looked at him, then at the others.

"Okay, when I said they were fighting over him, I didn't think one of them would take him home." She told them quickly.

"Hey Clutch ." Chase greeted before leaning in close. "Why is he in our house?"

"Well, Oliver shattered his foot, and then Skylar abducted him from the hospital. Then we fixed him I our top secret command center where no one's ever supposed to go. How was your day?"

"Great. We used our bionics to crush the dreams of innocent children." Bree replied eagerly.

"We really are an Elite Force." Calla sighed, smiling softly.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: So, what did you guys think? Good, bad? In between? I want to know! I know I say that a lot, but I really love getting reviews! They motivate me to write, and they really do help me get past the occasional bits of writer's block. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next little while:**

 **March 6** **th** **: The Intruder**

 **March 13** **th** **: A Friend in Need**

 **March 20** **th** **: The Rock**

 **March 27** **th** **: Home Sweet Home**

 **Don't forget to review, and I'll see you all next week!**


	9. The Intruder

**Kihonne: Hey guys! I decided to update a bit early, since this chapter was done early, and I could use some extra time to work on next week's original chapter (trust me, I need it). Plus, I just really wanted to read some new reviews. And so, let's move onto shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **MayLeaf2001: Thank you so much! And you're writing a story? Cool. What's it about? If it's Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or any other fandom I recognize, I am looking for some new reading material. And God, everyone is so excited for the original chapter. It's been a while since I've written one, so I hope it meets everyone's expectation. As for the Rock, that chapter is going to turn out a fair bit differently than you might expect, as I had some issues with the original plot for it (mainly Bree's motives for her actions, as they seemed a little out of nowhere if you ask me). That being said, Bree's still getting an upgrade. I can't really go into detail without spoiling, but I hope you like what I do with it. If not…well, I'm sorry. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: Yes, Calla is rich. You're going to get to see her project at the end of the season, and I think a lot of people are really going to like it. And my bad, I wasn't sure. However, I still standby the amount of emotion I put into their reactions. You have to keep in mind, it's been a while since Mighty Med was destroyed, about 5 months, according to the timeline I have to keep myself on track. During this time, they've pretty much figured that most of their friends are dead, and finding out that there are some that aren't is a relief. It's been enough time that while they still grieve their friends, it's not going to be a shock anymore that they're truly gone. Believing that they were still alive would be a little naïve at this point. I hope that explains why I did what I did. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: Don't worry about it. I can only keep track of the episode order as far as Home Sweet Home, and then I have to check for the rest of them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Eliteforce12: I'm glad you liked it. And I missed them too, especially Spin. I don't know why, but he was one of my favorite secondary characters from Lab Rats. I hope you like the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Thanks, and I agree. Clutch annoyed me, and even though Bob was there, I still wasn't very interested in it. That episode, along with Drone Alone, were some of my least favorite in the series. But I'm glad you liked what I did with it. Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Darth Becky 726: I'm glad you liked it, and that you're excited for the next chapter. I hope you like what I did with it! As for the wedding, I'm glad you're excited, but unfortunately, that chapter is going to be happening at the end of the season, so you're going to have to wait a bit. But for now, enjoy this chapter!**

 **Blah I Say: Thank you so much! And believe me, if I get stuck on something, and asking for help won't spoil any of my big plot twists, I will ask for help. And don't worry about not reviewing the day of the update, or even the day after. Life can get busy – I am the first person to understand that. If I didn't work on a chapter every week, I think I'd probably go on fanfiction a lot less than I'd like.**

 **Guest: Thank you. As for what you mentioned, I do try to change certain things in the series, such as Oliver's creepiness for example, to handle certain events differently. I'm probably not going to do another story to make changes in, but I will be making a lot more changes as I go on in this one. For example, I'll be making what I consider a big change in a couple of chapters' time. So, if this wasn't what I was referring to in the Lab Assistant (it's been so long I can't remember), I'm afraid that I won't have time to do another story, as all my focus is on my Elite Force series. That being said, I do have another story in the works, to be posted at the end of the month, which will focus on some of the less famous superheroes from Mighty Med. It may not be what you're asking for specifically, but I think you'll like it anyways. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Starlight151: I suspect you're the same person who sent in the last review (just by the similarity of the reviews) but if not, I'll give you the same response. I do try to change certain things in the series, such as Oliver's creepiness for example, to handle certain events differently. I'm probably not going to do another story to make changes in, but I will be making a lot more changes as I go on in this one. For example, I'll be making what I consider a big change in a couple of chapters' time. So, if this wasn't what I was referring to in the Lab Assistant (it's been so long I can't remember), I'm afraid that I won't have time to do another story, as all my focus is on my Elite Force series. That being said, I do have another story in the works, to be posted at the end of the month, which will focus on some of the less famous superheroes from Mighty Med. It may not be what you're asking for specifically, but I think you'll like it anyways. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **NightAngel365: I'm glad you liked it. I do have another story coming out at the end of the month, called Love and War. I don't want to give away the plot yet, but it's set at the same time as this story, in the same universe, and will be focusing on the few superheroes that survived Mighty Med. It's going to be really interesting, and it will eventually crossover into this story, so I'm encouraging everyone to read it once it comes out. Anyway, until then, enjoy this chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **AJ: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Chase's POV**

"Here you go." I handed Calla a glass of lemonade before sitting down at the table. Since it was nice out, Skylar had had the idea of eating outside. The twins were still in the kitchen, preparing their meals, while the rest of us were sitting around the table on the veranda. Well, most of us.

"Kaz, buddy, you don't have to eat on the floor." I looked at the pyrokinetic kneeling on the ground. "There's plenty of room over here."

"I'm not eating on the floor. I'm preparing my food on the floor." He explained, standing up and holding out a leaf rake, hot dog wieners on each of the spokes.

"Ooh, my favorite! Hot dogs on a rake!" Oliver beamed, walking out onto the veranda. He dropped his plate onto the table with a clatter, then took the rake from Kaz. He bent down and began to turn the rake slowly in a circle, while Kaz used his powers to blast fire at the wieners, cooking them.

"Guys!" Dani exclaimed, stepping out of the kitchen. She gave them both a stern look. "No!"

"Vegetarian to the rescue." Bree joked.

"You're disgusting." Dani told them, sitting down between Bree and Calla. "Seriously."

"I'm with her on that one." Bree agreed, shaking her head as Kaz removed the hot dogs off the rake and placed them on a plate. "I didn't think it was possible, but you actually made tubes of random animal parts even more disgusting."

"That's a matter of opinion." Oliver insisted, taking a bite of one of the cooked hot dogs. He grimaced, then pulled a leaf out of his mouth. "Ew. Wet leaf."

"You do know that I just used that rake to clean the gutters, right?" Skylar questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You can taste yesterday's rain." Oliver hummed before taking another bite of the hot dog.

"You boys are so ridiculous." Calla shook her head. "Your powers are a gift. You shouldn't be wasting them on trivial things."

"You're just jealous because you don't have any." Oliver teased her.

"No, Calla's right. You're always using your powers when you don't have to." Skylar agreed. "Yesterday, Oliver flew across the street just to go to the grocery store."

"That was an emergency!" Kaz defended his best friend. "We were out of Tofu Pops."

"And you know what, for your information, girls are just as bad." Oliver agreed. Kaz nodded.

"Yeah. Yesterday, when Mr. Davenport called, Bree used her vocal manipulation to pretend to be me." Kaz accused, pointing at Bree.

"Okay, calm down. All I said was," Bree switched on her vocal manipulation, using Kaz's voice, " _'Bree's not here. Stop calling, old man._ '"

"So you made me look bad?" Kaz demanded. Bree nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much." She agreed. "And yes, I occasionally use bionics to make my life easier. But I can stop whenever I want; you guys are the ones that have no control."

"Oh really? Well, then," Kaz smirked, "I propose a challenge, guys versus girls, to see who can go the longest using bionic abilities or superpowers."

"Last man or woman standing wins." Bree decided, standing up. Kaz held his hand out in the middle of the table, and Bree put hers on top to signify that she was taking part. "You're on."

"I'm in." I grinned, placing my hand on top of hers.

"Sounds fun." Dani grinned, putting her hand in the middle.

"Agreed." Skylar nodded, placing her hand on top of the pile. Oliver placed his on top of hers.

"I just wanted to touch Skylar's hand." He admitted.

"Hey, Calla, you want to ref?" Skylar suggested, trying not to leave my fiancé out of the contest.

"No thanks. I can see where this is going, and I'm not going to be responsible for stopping you guys from taking this way out of hand." She shook her head. "I'm just going to sit back and watch things go to hell."

"You ladies are going down." I taunted them. "I mean, when you calculate the statistical odds of how long each of us can last, the guys have a 72.74% chance of winning."

"Interesting." Calla smirked, then glanced at Bree. My sister nodded, smirking as well.

"And how exactly did you calculate those odds?" She asked. Oh, right.

"Yeah, I'm out." I admitted, sitting back down. The girls all laughed, while Kaz and Oliver both gave me a disappointed look.

 **Xxx**

"What about that third one? It wasn't bad." I suggested as Calla and I walked into the lab. She shrugged.

"I don't know. It was kind of…well, ugly." She replied. "And there's nowhere for a DJ, and there's no dance floor or anything."

"True." I agreed. I nodded at Douglas, who was working on the cyberdesk. "Hey Douglas."

"Hey kids. How'd the wedding venue search go?" He asked, glancing up from the cyberdesk.

"There's no decent places in Centium City. At all." Calla complained.

"We could go back home and do it there." I suggested. She looked up, contemplating it. "We could do it at the Academy, or on the beach."

"That sounds cool." She smiled. She looked at Douglas. "So, what are you doing?"

"Looking for a place nearby to grab a nice macaroon." He replied. Calla and I exchanged amuse smirks. "Hey! Just because I'm a little rough around the edges doesn't mean I can't enjoy a sophisticated treat."

"Whatever you say, Dougy." Calla smiled, shaking her head.

"Anyway, Chase, you need to be more careful. It's your job to secure this place, and you left that rock wall open last night." Douglas pointed to the rock wall that led to a series of tunnels under the building.

"What? No I didn't." I shook my head, confused. "I locked down the entire perimeter before I went to bed last night."

"Well, I was the first one down here this morning, and it was wide open." Douglas informed me.

"Hold on." Calla sat down at one of the consols near the cyberdesk. "Let me bring up the security footage from last night." She typed a few things into the computer, then paused, frowning. She looked up at me, her brow furrowed. "Someone's wiped it."

"I bet it was Roman and Riker." I realized. But how had they gotten in here without us knowing?

"Nothing else has been touched." Calla began typing quickly, searching the system for any record of them going through it. "If they broke in here, it'd be for The List, but it hasn't been accessed since last week."

Before I could respond, we heard the sound of footsteps in the tunnel. Knowing that the rest of the team were upstairs, I knew it had to be our intruder. Calla and Douglas both swiped their weapons off nearby shelves, while I prepared to attack. The rock wall slid open, but instead of Roman or Riker, there stood a little boy, maybe ten at the most, with dark, curly hair, and dark eyes that widened when he saw the weapons in Douglas and Calla's hands.

"Who are you?" I demanded as Calla lowered her weapon.

"My name's AJ." He explained, still eying Douglas warily. "I live a floor below you guys."

"Dude," Calla pushed Douglas's weapon away from AJ. "You gonna drop the weapon, or are you really afraid of a little kid?"

"Right." Douglas put the weapon away, placing it on the consol before looking at AJ. "Why haven't we seen you before?"

"I like to keep to myself. A man of mystery, if you will." AJ explained, making his way into the lab. "But I know all about you guys, The Elite Force." He struck a pose similar to the one Kaz did every time someone said our team's name.

We exchanged looks. Great, some little kid knew our secret. "How did you even get down here? It's surrounded by walls of solid rock."

"Well, I was checking on the building's energy consumption, and I noticed an unusually high drain coming from below the building." AJ began to explain.

"Wait, you check on the building's energy consumption?" Douglas questioned. The kid nodded.

"Of course. Gotta keep tabs on all the over-users. The future is green, man." He smiled widely. "Anyway, I used a structural-entometer to scan the area and locate the room. Then I cracked the security code and I've been coming here ever since."

"Ever since?" I repeated. "How often do you come here?"

He chuckled. "A lot more than you'd like." He responded. Calla cracked a smile, obviously amused by him, as he continued, "My parents work a lot, so I figured why hang out at home when I can hang here with all this cool technology. I just had to copy your online calendar so I'd know when to slip in undetected, and make sure to turn off your AI before she could rat me out."

"You copied our calendar?" I was surprised that he could do that without being caught.

"Yeah. Which reminds me," he turned to Douglas, "aren't you supposed to be at a dentist appointment right now?"

"He rescheduled it so he could sleep in." Calla explained. I looked at her.

"Why are you telling him that?" I asked. She shrugged.

"C'mon, Chase. I mean, I know we should be upset by the massive security breach, but I like this little guy." She explained. I rolled my eyes. Of course she would like the kid who broke into our home on a regular basis.

"Alright, time for you to go." I ushered AJ back to the tunnel. "And I'm changing all the passwords so this doesn't happen again."

"Bye AJ." Douglas told the kid. AJ sighed.

"Fine, I'll go." He agreed reluctantly. "But just so you know, I have a photographic memory which means that the schedule's up here too." He tapped his forehead meaningfully.

"Good to know." I shut the rock wall door on him, and turned back to Douglas and Calla. The latter smiled.

"You know, I have the feeling that we haven't seen the last of him." She declared.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Guys!" Oliver burst into the Penthouse, grinning ear to ear. Bree and I had been playing chess, while Dani and Kaz played Rocket League on their PS4. "You'll never believe who I saw in the front of our building! Harry Styles from One Direction!"

Bree let out an excited scream, speeding out of the penthouse in the blink of an eye. She was back a second later, a distraught, heart-shattering looking on her face. "He wasn't there." She cried.

"Ha! That's because he's actually in Brisbane, Australia, where he has a concert tonight before heading back to England for some much needed R&R from his overly hectic schedule!" Oliver exclaimed. Dani looked at him.

"Why do you know that?" She asked, shaking her head.

"You used your super speed!" Kaz exclaimed, punching the air. "You're out of the contest!"

"That was low." Bree glowered at Oliver hatefully

"Nobody said you couldn't play dirty." He reminded her.

"Yeah, and now it's two against two." Kaz smirked.

"That's how it is? Fine." Bree's face set into a look of determination. "But just because I'm out, doesn't mean I can't help my girls win."

"We don't need your help-" Dani began.

"This is not about you, it's about me." Bree cut her off.

 **Chase's POV**

"So, I've upgraded the entire Mission Command security system." I announced, walking into the main part of Mission Command. Douglas was still at the cyberdesk, while Calla was on the consol, looking at a set of blueprints. "And there's no need to remember passwords anymore because I had MISS change everything to vocal recognition. There is absolutely no way that kid's getting back in here."

Suddenly, the rock wall to Calla's right opened up and AJ walked through, grinning. "That's a sick weapons area you've got back behind the rock wall. I can see why you'd want to keep people out of it."

"You were saying?" Calla questioned, not looking away from the blueprints.

"You know," Douglas hummed thoughtfully, "if the smartest man in the world is in charge of security, and that kid got past it, doesn't that make him the smartest man in the world?"

Calla, Douglas, and AJ all chuckled at the thought. I glared at Douglas, annoyed. "Well, I mean, you created me, so technically, that would make it your failure." I said coolly. The smile fell from his face.

"Alright, AJ, time for you to go." Calla sighed, getting up.

"Wait." He refused to move. "I came back to off you a proposition. You said this place is only for members of the Elite Force. But I know a lot about you guys, and I think I can be an asset. I want to join the team."

I laughed, amused. "Sorry kid, I don't think they make missions suits in extra small."

"Yours are extra-" Douglas began, but I cut him off.

"Only the pants!" I snapped.

"Look, I may only be ten, but I'm good with computers, I know every street in this city, and well…" AJ looked at me pointedly. "It's glaringly obvious that you need help with the security system. I mean, having an AI do all of it? You might as well leave me a key under the mat."

"He might have a point." Calla said slowly. I looked at her.

"Calla's right. It would be good to have a pair of fresh eyes around here, pointing out our weaknesses, making us up our game." Douglas nodded.

"And he IS good with computers. I'm good with engineering and technology, but in order for him to shut MISS down and turn her back on without her, or us, ever having a clue that someone had accessed her system? That takes serious coding skills. Like, my level coding skills." Calla pointed out. "He's young, but he's good at what he does, and having someone who knows the city better than a GPS might give us an advantage in the future."

"No. We don't need him." I denied it.

"I think you do." AJ pointed out. "And to prove it, let's make a deal. If I can get back in here, I'm on the team."

"Fine." He wouldn't get back in here anyway, so I had nothing to worry about. "Deal."

He held out his hand and I shook it, confirming the deal. "Your hands are sweaty." He observed with a smirk. "Nervous?"

"No!" I pulled my hand away. "They're naturally clammy!"

 **Skylar's POV**

"Ah, hello old friend." Dani and I turned around on the couch to see Kaz looking at a piece of toast adoringly. "What do you say we get some butter and make this a party?"

"You guys need a room?" Dani inquired loudly. Kaz looked at her and was about to reply when the toast was suddenly pulled out of his hands and into the air. Bree turned visible to reveal that it was she who stole the toast from him.

"You know what's funny? I don't even like toast." She commented before taking a massive bite out of it. She chewed it for a moment, then added, "But because it's yours,, it's delicious."

"Dude, not cool." Kaz told her, shaking his head just as Oliver came down the stairs.

"Hey, Oliver." I stood up and looked at him hopefully. "It's really hot, and I don't think the AC is working. Would you mind using your cryoblast to cool me off?"

He grinned widely. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to ask me that."

He raised his hands to cool her off with a blast of cold air, but Kaz quickly stopped him. "Dude, no! She's trying to get you to use your powers so you'll lose the contest!"

Oliver looked at me to confirm whether or not it was true. "Who, me?" I tried to play dumb, but he knew better than that.

"This is how you treat me?" He questioned, hurt.

"Hey, Ollie?" Dani spoke up. "Can I borrow your phone for a moment? I lost mine again."

"Yeah, here." He pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. She beamed and started walking out onto the veranda, the phone held high in the air. "Where are you going?"

"Just trying to find better reception." She hummed. We all looked at each other, knowing that she was up to something, then followed her out onto the veranda. She reached the edge of the veranda and leaned over the wall, reaching out. Then, she dropped the phone. "Oops." She said, a smirk on her face.

Oliver stared at her for a long moment, before rushing past the rest of us, and leaping over the edge of the veranda. "No, no!" Kaz shouted as Oliver fell for his sister's plan.

"Two against one." Bree smirked, giving Dani a high five. Oliver flew back onto the veranda, his phone in his hand.

"Not cool, Dani." He told his sister. She smiled sweetly at him.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked mockingly. He raised an eyebrow, thought about it, then smirked.

"Two can play at this game." He decided before flying back into the air. He disappeared from our line of sight, but a few moments later, we heard a loud thud from upstairs.

"Did he just climb through our window?" Bree questioned, trying to locate where the sounds of Oliver rummaging through things were coming from. A moment later, before any of us could go investigate, the noises stopped.

Oliver flew back into our line of view, a little ways away from the tower, carrying a grey and white bundle in his arms. I looked at him, confused, for a moment, before Dani gasped. "Katy." She whispered, staring at Oliver in horror. "Ollie, don't!"

"You'll catch her!" He called, dropping the mass in his hands. Dani didn't even hesitate, diving off the penthouse to catch it. Oliver dropped onto the veranda next to us.

"You tried to kill her pet?" Bree stared at him, aghast. He chuckled, then grabbed a box of cat treats off the counter. He shook it, and Katy came racing down the stairs, the grey and white cat stopping at Oliver's feet, staring at him with big, hungry eyes. "What?"

"Oliver Mathew Short!" Dani shouted, landing on the veranda. A grey and white stuffed animal was clutched in her hands. "That was not funny!"

"It worked, didn't it?" He challenged. "One against one now."

Dani stared at him, shaking her head, her eyes lit up with anger. She bent down and scooped the real Katy up in her arms, petting her gently while holding her close.

"Why do you even have a toy stuffed cat?" I questioned, looking at him.

"Uh…" He froze. "It's a long story. You don't want to know."

"I'll take your word for it." I decided.

 **Chase's POV**

"You were right." I commented to Douglas, taking a bite of the small, cake-like pasty. "These macaroons were right."

"I've never doubted your taste in food, Dougy." Calla agreed, swiping another off the plate as she worked on her laptop.

"You're welcome." Douglas replied.

"Alright." I announced. "Last but not least, our online calendar is secure." I announced, smirking proudly. "It'd take two years of decoding for any outsider to even see when my birthday is."

"It's June 1st, right?" Douglas questioned. Calla and I both looked at him.

"August 5th." I corrected. "But close, Dad."

"Alright, enough." Calla cut in as Douglas was about to retort. She glanced at the clock on her laptop. "Okay, it's been twelve hours, and no sign of AJ. Can we take a break and get some real dinner now?"

"Twelve hours?" I grinned. "I've successfully locked him out." I got up and walked over to cyberdesk and began to press buttons. "No one makes a fool of Chase Davenport and gets away with it! No one!"

"Chase, what are you doing?" Calla questioned as the rock walls all slid open.

"Deactivating the security system I worked so hard to perfect." I explained, frowning as I did so.

"Why?" Douglas asked. I tried to stop, but for some reason, my fingers kept deactivating them, even putting our calendar back to public view.

"I don't know." I replied looking at them, confused. "My mind is telling me to do it even though I don't want to. Also, I'm proud to announce that I am the dumbest man in the world!"

We were all confused as to why I said that last bit – obviously, it wasn't true – but then AJ walked in from the tunnel, laughing. There was an IPad in his hands, held loosely as he chuckled.

"What did you do?" Calla demanded, awe-struck.

"You could sound a little more annoyed and a little less amazed, Calla!" I exclaimed. She nodded.

"I could." She agreed before turning to AJ with a grin. "Seriously. What did you do?"

"I reprogrammed Chase's bionic chip so I could control it." He explained proudly.

"You what?" I demanded. AJ laughed out loud.

"That's right." He nodded. "I didn't have to break into Mission Command; I broke into you."

"I'm really impressed that you tapped into my chip. You are so much smarter than me!" I exclaimed, despite myself. My eyes widened as the words passed my lips. I began to applaud him. "Stop making me stay stuff! And stop making me clap!"

"Fine!" AJ sighed and let me stop clapping. But a moment later, I found myself dancing, all types of dances from a jig to ballet. All the while, Calla and Douglas were barely containing their owns laughs.

"Stop encouraging him!" I exclaimed, desperate. "This is a major security breach!"

"Yes, yes it is." Calla smiled before turning to AJ. "Okay, we had our fun. Now knock it off."

"Fine." AJ pressed another button and I stopped dancing, but almost immediately, the IPad flew out of his hands and hit me in the chest, sticking to it like a magnet.

"Ow!" I complained, looking down at the IPad in confusion. Suddenly, several of the metal objects in the room, including a tool box, a coffee mug, and the keyboard to Douglas' computer, flew at me, hit me hard and sticking to me. "Ow! Guys? What's going on?"

"When AJ tapped into your chip, he must have caused a glitch." Calla realized. "Your magnetism app has gone haywire."

"Uh oh." I looked over at Douglas and saw that his arm was outstretched, his multiple metal bracelets shaking on the limb. "It's a heavy bracelet day."

I gasped as he suddenly stumbled forward, hitting me in the throat with his arm. I coughed, wincing from the jab to my throat.

"See, this is why kids shouldn't play with technology." Douglas sighed, shaking his head.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Hey Kaz," Everyone in the room looked up as Bree walked down the stairs, carrying a backpack. She smiled at us before walking out onto the veranda.

"Oh no." Kaz untangled himself from Dani and the blankets on the couch and ran after her, Oliver followed him out onto the veranda, while Dani and I watched from inside the kitchen. Bree pulled a cell phone out of the backpack. "Not my cell phone."

"Oops." Bree casually tossed it off the veranda. Kaz gulped, but stood his ground, refusing to move. "Aren't you going to fly down and go get it?"

"Nah, it's good." You could hear his voice shake slightly. "I've been meaning to get back into letter writing."

"Oh, okay." Bree shrugged, as if she'd been expecting such a response. Dani and I exchanged looks, then watched as Bree pulled a pair of shoes out of the backpack, discarding the bag by throwing it over the edge. "Look what else I have."

"My brand new, limited edition high tops?" Kaz's eyes went wide. I saw him physically flinch when Bree threw them off the balcony. "Oops."

Kaz was breathing heavy as he forced himself to not fly after the shoes. "Please stop." He begged her, his voice strained.

"Oh, I am just getting started." Bree grinned, obviously having far too much fun with this. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back up to your room and throw out all your clothes. That's right; it's going to be raining tighty-whiteys!"

She walked back into the Penthouse, past us, and practically skipped up the stairs towards the boys rooms. "I forgot how competitive she is." Dani murmured, a small smile on her face. I looked back out the window at the boys.

"Bree is a she-devil." Kaz declared, turning to Oliver. "I'm never going to win this thing."

"Yeah, you will. We just need to throw Skylar off her game and get her to use her powers. And if anyone can get her to do something, it's this guy." I stifled a laugh, ducking my head.

"They do know we can hear them, right?" I asked, laughing.

"Sorry, buddy, but the only thing you're good at getting Skylar to do is reject you." Kaz pointed out.

"She is not rejecting me, she is waiting for our love to blossom." Oliver insisted.

"Oh, are you?" Dani laughed, smiling at me. I shook my head. Oh, Oliver…

"And this is about something bigger," he continued, oblivious to me and Dani listening in, "This is about us men sticking up for each other."

"Hey Kaz!" Bree shouted from the floor above us. We all watched as several pairs of underwear dropped from above and fell to the street below.

"Do it! Do it now!" Kaz exclaimed, looking at Oliver. He nodded.

"Okay. I'll use my cryo-blast to freeze her in a block of ice, and then she'll be forced to use her powers to break herself out."

"I love it!" Kaz grinned. I looked at Dani.

"Watch this." I told her before stepping out onto the veranda.

"This is for men everywhere!" Oliver shouted, raising his hand to blast me

"Hey Oliver." I gave him my sweetest smile possible and he froze. He dropped his hand before turning to Kaz.

"I can't do it; she said the magic words." He told his best friend apologetically.

 **Chase's POV**

"Well, this is unpleasant." I commented dryly, as paperclips attached themselves to my hair. In the past twenty minutes, even more metallic items in mission command had flew and hit me, only to stick to my body with no chance of moving. Calla glanced over at me from her laptop before looking back at it.

"You know, I kinda wish of that metal would've covered his mouth." Douglas grumbled.

"Got anymore bracelets?" AJ asked hopefully.

"Guys, he can hear you. Don't forget that." Calla commented.

"Thank you." I nodded at her. "And would you do something already?"

"We're trying." Douglas insisted. "But every time I try to fix your chop remotely, the magnet gets stronger."

Just then, a metal device Calla had been working with earlier flew from the consol and hit me square in the chest. "I haven't noticed." I growled at Douglas.

"Can't you use your force field?" Calla questioned, looking at me. I shook my head.

"The glitch is overriding everything. I can't use any of my abilities." I explained.

"What if we create a human shield around you?" Douglas suggested. "It won't stop the magnetic pull but by blocking its path with our bodies, it might slow it down."

AJ and Calla nodded and the three of them rushed over to me, surrounding me in a large group hug.

"Wait, hold on." AJ frowned. He looked up at Calla and Douglas. "If it doesn't work, and the magnet just keeps getting stronger…"

"Every heavy thing in this room will take AJ, me, and Douglas out first." Calla realized. She sighed and dropped her head onto my shoulder. "Douglas, I hate your plans."

Suddenly, the entire room began to rumble and shake violently. "This is the worst room to be in. Donnie built it out of reinforced steel." Douglas realized.

"Let's get out of here." Calla decided. She began to pull me and the others slowly towards the hyperlift. Douglas and AJ helped her, though due to the amount of metal surrounded my legs, I could barely move my feet. Eventually, though, we made it, and it sent us straight up to the main floor.

"Hey, guys…?" Dani got off the couch, looking at us questioningly.

"Aww, is it National Hug Day?" Oliver smiled before turning to Skylar with his arms outstretched. "Bring it in."

"No." She denied him, shaking her head.

"What's going on?" Kaz asked, looking at us.

"And who's the kid?"

"Oh, this is AJ. He lives downstairs." Calla explained. "He tapped into Chase's chip with his tablet and it's causing his magnetism app to glitch."

"It's tragic but hysterical." Douglas added.

"Or maybe just hysterical." Kaz grinned.

"Look, Calla and I have to find a way to fix his glitch remotely, but when we break the human shield, ever metal object in this room is gonna go flying towards Chase." Douglas insisted.

"I'm not hearing a problem." Bree smiled. Calla gave her a look.

"Bree, you're going to help us with this, or so help me God, I will make Kaitlin my maid of honor instead of you." She threatened. Bree looked at her warily.

"You wouldn't." She called her bluff.

"Try me." Calla challenged.

"Fine." Bree sighed. Calla nodded, then looked at the rest of the group.

"Okay, when Douglas and I let ho, we need you guys to use your powers to protect Chase from being hit by all of the heavy objects." She instructed.

"Yeah…we can't do that." Skylar told her sheepishly.

Douglas and Calla exchanged looks. "Why not?" Douglas asked, confused.

"Oh, see, we're having this little challenge, guys versus girls, to see who can go the longest without using their powers for trivial things." Kaz explained.

"Saving my life is not a trivial thing!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

"I don't know. Should we take a vote?" Oliver suggested.

"Seriously, you're not done that stupid contest?" Calla sounded surprised. "I figured Bree's crazy over-competitiveness would have destroyed you all by now."

"Look, just put your contest on hold." Douglas told them. "I need you guys to buy Calla and I some time so we can try to fix this."

"Fine." Everyone sighed reluctantly. Huh, maybe next time I won't be so eager to help them out.

Calla, Douglas, and AJ broke away, the three spinning around to look at the IPAD stuck to my shoulder. Calla started pressing buttons furiously, Douglas and AJ telling her what to do while the metal objects in the room began to shake.

"Watch out! The table!" Bree shouted, speeding forward and catching the side table just as it flew into the air.

"Oliver!" Skylar exclaimed, as the toaster flew towards me. Oliver spun around and punched it, destroying it instantly. Skylar stepped forward and used a ball of energy to stop the table-top ornaments from flying at us. The chess pieces, all made of metal, flew into the air, but Kaz took care of it quickly, using his fire to turn most of them to ash.

"Ah!" Calla ducked as one of the pieces he missed flew past her head. "Okay, we have WAY too much metal in this penthouse!"

"Just hurry!" Bree snapped at her. "We can't keep this up forever!"

Suddenly, a loud, threatening, creaking sound hit our ears, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Oh no, it's amping up." Douglas realized. "His magnetism app is going to rip the framework of the room right out of the walls!"

"Wait a second." AJ stopped them. "Can't his capsule reset his operating system and bring his magnetism app back to its original settings?"

Douglas and Calla exchanged looks. "Yes, yes it can." Calla nodded, looking impressed with the younger boy. Just then, the room creaked again, this time louder.

"Hurry. The whole room is going to implode!" Kaz urged us.

"Protect Chase. I'll use my super strength to bring his capsule down here!" Oliver offered.

"I'll help you." Bree grabbed his shoulder and they sped up the stairs. A moment later, they returned, Oliver carrying the capsule. He placed it on the ground and the others began pushing me towards the capsule. As we finally managed to get me inside, Douglas began to input the reset code into the capsule's computer.

"And…got it!" Douglas announced. The capsule's walls lit up blue for a moment, and then every piece of metal attached to me fell, hitting the floor of the capsule.

"Thank goodness." Calla breathed a sigh of relief.

"You alright?" Skylar asked. I nodded, although there was an uncomfortable pull at my back when I stretched.

"I think so. Thought my back is killing me." I complained.

"Sorry to hear it. Contest back on!" Kaz declared, clapping his hands together. The rest of the team, including AJ, walked away.

"Who's gonna help us bring this back up?" Calla called after them.

 **Xxx**

Later that evening, things had calmed down a bit. Bree, Dani, and Skylar were picking up the takeout we'd ordered for dinner, Oliver was in his room, playing video games, Kaz was out purchasing a new pair of high-tops, and Douglas had an actual date, so Calla and I were down in the lab, getting some work done.

I was in the middle of typing out some new codes for MISS' upgrade when I heard it – the soft, almost inaudible sound of sneakers against the floor. Calla didn't pause in her work, clearly having not heard a thing, but I was sure.

"I know you're here." I commented. Calla looked up with a frown, but before she could comment, AJ popped up from behind one of the consols.

"Hey guys." He greeted.

"What's the matter? Couldn't kill me the first time?" I asked him, turning to give him my full attention. Calla put her laptop away, intrigued by the conversation. "Come back to finish the job."

"No. I wanted to say I'm sorry." AJ apologized. He looked at us earnestly. "I was just trying to show you what I could do. I didn't mean for all that to happen."

"Yeah, well, that's the reason I didn't want you around here in the first place." I told him. He nodded sullenly.

"I know." He agreed. "And I promise I won't come back. It's obvious I'm not ready to be a part of the team."

He turned around to leave, and Calla looked at me. It was obvious that she had taken a liking to the younger boy, and some excellent points had been made earlier about what he could contribute to the team. I sighed.

"AJ, wait." I stopped him. He turned around and looked at me, confusion clear on his face. "You getting in here, tapping into my chip…it's pretty impressive. And not just for a ten-year-old."

"Really?" He smiled at the praise. I nodded.

"Yeah. You just think you know a little bit more than you actually do. And I can kinda, barely, not really, relate to that." Calla raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment.

"So, are you saying I'm a part of the team?" AJ asked hopefully.

"Hell no." I laughed. He sighed disheartened. "But, if you want to come by, you know, occasionally, I won't keep you out."

"Thanks, Chase." He beamed. He went to leave, but stopped at the door. "But for what it's worth, you wouldn't be able to anyway."

"I definitely could!" I shouted after him as he left.

"No," Calla shook her head. "I don't think we could."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey Kaz," Oliver greeted, walking out onto the veranda. "Wanna torch some wienies?"

I looked at him, wondering what was wrong with him. "No way, dude. I'm this close to beating Skylar in the contest."

"Don't worry, the girls are out getting dinner. It's totally safe." He assured me. "Besides, it's Dani's turn to order dinner. It's all going to vegetarian stuff."

"Good point. Let's fire up the grill." I decided. Oliver grabbed the rake, already prepped with hot dog wieners, and held it up for me. I raised my fist, lit it on fire, and set fire to the wieners. Oliver grinned.

"And, you're out." He declared once I finished. I looked at him, confused, and he punched the air. "Girls win."

"What?" I questioned.

"Oh, sorry." He touched his fingers to his neck and deactivated the square patch on it. His image shimmered for a moment, then changed into Bree. "Girls win!" She announced proudly. Dani and Skylar walked out from the kitchen, where they'd been hiding behind the counter.

"You cyber-cloaked me?" I demanded.

"That's right. The real Oliver is upstairs, trying to beat Dani's high score on Zombie Hunter 4." Skylar bragged.

I sighed. Well, fair's fair. "At least I still have my dogs."

"Nope." Dani grabbed the rake out of my hands and tossed it over the edge of the veranda. "Now you don't."

"Those are worth flying for." I grinned before jumping into the air and diving for my hot dogs. "Whoo!"

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And that's the end of that chapter! You guys know the drill: drop me a review so I can know what you liked, and if you didn't like something, what that was. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few weeks:**

 **March 13** **th** **: A Friend in Need**

 **March 20** **th** **: The Rock**

 **March 27** **th** **: Home Sweet Home**

 **April 3** **rd** **: Sheep-Shifting**

 **Next week is the first original chapter of the series. Since I'm a little rusty when it comes to original chapters, I'm going to get started on it right away, and I'll try to make it the best chapter I can. Until then, don't forget to review!**


	10. A Friend in Need

**Kihonne: Hey guys. I'm so sorry that I'm late with the chapter. I'm not going to lie or make an excuse – the reason this chapter is late is because I am a perfectionist. I didn't like the original draft, so I scrapped it and rewrote it from scratch. But, personally, I think the wait was worth it. Anyway, I won't waste any more of your time, so here's the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **EliteForce12: Thank you so much. I do hope you like the original chapter. And no problem!**

 **LabGirl2001: He's one of my favorites too. As for Douglas' date, I'm not sure if you'll meet her. I have an idea for a plot I could use, but I'm not entirely sure how to use it, so I included that to keep my options open. So, no guarantees. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Thanks, and I have to agree. Bree was a little overly-mean to Kaz in this episode, though I chalked that up to her over-competitiveness. Though you are right that it was OOC. There was a lot of that going around in the series. I'm glad you liked it, and yes, we will see more of AJ. A lot more than we did in the TV series, since he was only in the two episodes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: Really? I liked it, personally, though the characters were a bit OOC. I'm glad you liked the chapter, especially the part with Oliver and Dani's cat. I'm glad you're excited. I do have to admit the chapter was hard to write – it just didn't seem right to me, you know? But I hope the end result is something that everyone else likes.**

 **Algernon23: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I'm really glad I went with the cat thing – originally, I was going to have someone scare Dani and she accidently electrocute them in return, but this seemed so much better. It certainly got a lot of people laughing, that's for sure. As for Douglas' date, it was not an older version of Reese, but trust me, you aren't the only person to think that. Actually, someone has already approached me with the idea of having Douglas date an older version of Reese, and it would be an awesome idea, if I didn't already have different plans for Reese. And yes, this week's is the original chapter. I'm actually nervous, to be honest. I keep re-reading it, and I kinda don't like it, but it's still a hundred times better than the previous versions, so I'm just going to post it and hope that it's just my paranoia that the chapter is less than great. Please enjoy, and thanks for the birthday wishes, again. And yay! 100 reviews!**

 **NightAngel365: I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter just as much. As for the Rock, I can not yet reveal anything that is happening in the chapter. But I think, whichever direction I go, you're going to like it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **GU3ST: Sweet, thank you. I'll have to check those out.**

 **artxmisbae: Thanks! I do hope you like the chapter. And sweet, you have an account now!**

 **MayLeaf2001: An original, cool. What's it about? Anyway, thank you so much for your compliments and your belief that the chapter will be awesome. I really hope you enjoy it!**

 **Guest: It's not a bad idea – I might do that one day, when I'm less busy.**

 **Originalguest: Well, I'm always happy to hear from readers I've never heard from before. That was my favorite episode too, though things won't happen exactly the way they did in the original. But don't worry – Bree's still going to get an upgrade! You'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **A fan: Thanks so much! And here is the update.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Oh, and before I forget, I'd like to thank my new friend on Tumblr, eevee371, for suggesting the idea for Calla and the boys' sub-plot. Now, Dani, take it away!**

 **Dani: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only own this chapter, any and all OCs in it, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

I startled awake, confused and disorientated. One minute, I was dreaming about flying above the Eiffel tower, the next I was waking up in my bedroom, the Madagascar Afro Circus song blaring. I looked over at my bedside table to see my phone's screen alit, and playing my ringtone.

"Dani!" Bree moaned, throwing open her capsule door just as Skylar threw her pillow at me. I ducked, though it still hit me in the head.

"Sorry. I thought it was off." I apologized, reaching for the phone.

"Your ring tone is stupid. And I'm not just saying that because of how early it is." Skylar complained.

"Good to know." I replied before answering it. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "Whoever this is, it better be good."

" _Dani, hi."_ A familiar voice replied. I frowned, then pulled the phone away from my face to check the time.

"Barry?" I demanded. "What the hell, man? It's 2:34 AM!"

" _I know. And I'm sorry. But I need you to come back home."_ He told me, his voice serious. _"I need your help."_

I looked at Skylar and Bree, concerned. Barry sounded worried, really worried. And he wouldn't have called so early if it wasn't serious.

"What's going on?" I questioned.

 **Calla's POV**

"So, what should we do today?" I asked, rolling over onto my stomach, my hand resting on Chase's bare chest. He smirked up at me.

"Catch a movie. Dinner. We could go to the planetarium, make a day of it." He replied, smiling up at me. Before I could reply, the sounds of muffled arguing came from downstairs. I sighed, and dropped my head onto his chest.

"That sounds like…Kaz and Oliver." I sighed.

"We're going to have to deal with that, aren't we?" Chase leaned his head back.

"MISS?" I raised my head. "Please tell Dani to deal with her brother and boyfriend."

"I'm afraid Miss Dani is not currently in the Penthouse. She, along with Miss Bree and Miss Skylar, left early this morning." My AI informed us. "They did not indicate when they would return."

"Damn it." I muttered.

 **Xxx**

When we walked onto the main floor, Kaz and Oliver were still arguing, with AJ sitting on the couch, watching them with interest.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kaz." Oliver was saying, his tone condescending. "I think we both know who has the more powerful…" he paused, glancing at AJ before continuing, "bionic abilities."

"Oh, come on! I can kick your butt any day!" Kaz argued. "How could I possibly be _your_ sidekick?"

"Hey!" Chase shouted, getting their attention.

"Dudes, it's seven A.M." I told them, pointing at the clock on the wall. "What could you possibly be arguing about?"

"This might be my fault." AJ cut in, a guilty smile on his face.

"How am I not surprised?" Chase commented, shaking his head.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"Well, AJ was asking us questions about our bionic abilities. You know, how many people we've saved, if we have capes. The normal stuff." Kaz explained. "And then he asked if we had sidekicks, like superheroes did."

"And Kaz said I was his sidekick!" Oliver interrupted him, sounding outraged.

"Because you are!" Kaz pointed out. He gave me and Chase a smirk. "This guy."

"I've saved twice as many lives as you, and I'm way more responsible than you. I'm clearly the hero, and you're the sidekick."

"But my abilities are WAY cooler." Kaz insisted.

"Well, technically," I began, but he gave me a heated glare.

"No one cares about the technicalities, Calla." He stopped me before continuing. "And anyway, everyone knows that the hero is the more powerful of the two."

"And what makes you think you're more powerful?" Oliver challenged, crossing his arms.

"Fire beats ice. Everyone knows that, pal." Kaz reminded him.

"I do not have enough caffeine in my system to deal with this." Chase sighed. He started walking over to the coffee maker. "Babe, you want one?"

"Triple espresso, please." I sighed before looking at the guys. "Are you guys seriously arguing about this?"

"Wait, I know." Kaz's face brightened. He walked around me and put his arm on my shoulder. "Calla, you decide who's the sidekick and who's the hero?"

"Yeah…no." I stepped away from him. "Can't you guys just let this go?"

"No." They both replied at once. Oh, that they agree on.

"Alright then." I clapped my hands together, coming up with an idea. Was it a good idea? Probably not, but it would keep them out of my hair for the day. "Here's the plan. You guys go out and do 'hero' stuff. The person who does the most is the hero, and the other is the sidekick. Agreed?"

Kaz didn't even wait. "Eat my dust, Oliver!" He shouted before running out onto the veranda and over the edge.

"Hey!" Oliver shouted, racing after him, and flying into the air.

"Since when is flying a bionic ability?" AJ gasped, grinning.

"Last month." I lied with a shrug. Chase handed me my coffee.

"You realize that this whole contest is going to come back to bite us in the butt, right?" He asked me.

"Yeah, probably." I agreed, shaking my head.

 **Dani's POV**

"This is where you guys used to hang out every day?" Bree questioned as she, Skylar, and I walked into The Domain. I sighed happily, the familiar scent of old comic book pages hitting my noise.

"This was our home away from home." I replied. She didn't look impressed. "In our defense, Ollie and I had a psychopath for a mother, and Kaz's house was almost literally overflowing. Trust me; this was a paradise compared to home."

"Besides, we could talk about superhero stuff without being interrupted by anyone." I turned to see Barry walk out from behind the curtain that led towards the back. "I mean, Gus owns it and I run it, so I could close up whenever we needed."

"And we are very grateful for that." Skylar added, walking forward and giving the taller boy a hug.

"Bree, this is our friend Barry Clarke." I introduced them. "Barry, this is Bree Davenport."

"The bionic speedster. I've heard good things." He shook her hand.

"So, you said this was important." Skylar turned to him. He nodded.

"Yeah." He walked over to the door, locked it, then turned the OPEN sign to CLOSED. He turned back to you. "Obviously, you know that the League of Heroes was destroyed when Mighty Med was destroyed."

"All of the League members were inside the hospital when it was destroyed." I explained to Bree. She nodded.

"Well, apparently, the villains have figured that out too." Barry added.

"Crime rates have gone up since Mighty Med was destroyed," Skylar sighed. She looked at Barry. "I'm guessing there's a supervillain hanging around town?"

"Five, actually." He nodded.

"And you can't handle them on your own?" I inquired teasingly. He looked at me, confused, and I smiled. "I've seen the pictures online, B."

"What pictures?" Bree questioned, confused.

"There's a new hero in town, Arciere. He's an archer, about your build, and his uniform is the exact same color as our school's colors." I looked pointedly at my ex-boyfriend. "I was on the archery team with you, Barry. I know how good you are."

"You gonna tell me to stop?" He asked after a moment.

"No. This world could use the heroes, even non-powered ones." Skylar told him. "Just be careful."

"Well, _I_ am being careful." He said. I frowned, noticing the emphasis on the I. "But that's not why I called you. I'm not the only hero in town."

"You aren't? There's another superhero?" I asked, surprised. Skylar frowned.

"We managed to locate almost all the superheroes left. The closest one to Philadelphia is Crossbow, and she's in New York. Hell, half of the survivors aren't even in the country anymore." She pointed out.

"Well, you must have missed one." Barry told us. He looked at me apologetically. "You're gonna be pissed."

 **Xxx**

I slowly walked down the dirt path that led to the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Not long after we'd talked with Barry, several reports came over the area, warning people of structural damage caused to multiple bridges in the Philadelphia area caused by an unknown source. After Barry informed us of which villains were in the area, we'd realized that it was probably them, and split up to deal with it. Skylar had taken the JFK Boulevard Bridge, Bree and Barry had sped off to ensure that the Commodore Barry Bridge wouldn't collapse, and I had drawn the short straw, taking the least exciting of the three. Well, I guess any attack at a bridge would be equally boring, but they were getting the big bridges. I got the small one, though, I had the feeling that I might have some company soon enough.

Sure enough, I heard the sound of footsteps, and a very loud scream. Concerned, I started to move faster, but purposefully staying out of sight. I stepped around a tree and caught sight of the villain, a tall man with curly brown hair and dressed in faded armor with a black cape. I recognized him instantly as the Sonic Shriek, an inventor who turned into a villain after one of his inventions malfunctioned and gave him superpowers.

"Hey!" I called, getting his attention. He looked up, startled, a black orb in his hand. "Sup?"

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded, looking at me. I paused.

"Statica…" I trailed, realizing how bad that was. Ever since Kaz had picked his superhero name, Ollie and I had tried to do the same, but nothing I could think of seemed good enough.

"That's a terrible name." He told me. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know. I'm working on it." I assured him. I glanced back at the device in his hand. "Is that a bomb?"

"It's a sonic-destabilizer." He corrected.

"Ah, got it." I nodded. I looked up at the bridge. "And you're going to use it to destroy the bridge?"

"What's it to you?" He questioned.

"Well, I can't let you do that." I explained, raising my hands. A ball of electricity formed between them. "Stopping villains is in the job description, you know."

"You're a hero? Named Statica?" He laughed.

"I said I'm working on it!" I snapped before shooting the ball of electricity at him. He ducked, letting it fly over his head, then his head snapped towards me and he screamed.

It felt like both my eardrums burst when he did, and the sonic waves threw me into the air. I was slammed into a metal beam attached to the bridge, then hit the ground. "Ow…" I groaned, rubbing at my ears. "Dude, not cool."

"Hey!" Before I could even get up, another figure appeared, walking out from behind the tree line. I looked up at her and stared. Not because I was surprised – Barry had given me fair warning – but because I hadn't really thought she'd show. But a few feet away from us stood a tall, skinny, green-clad, red-haired hero.

"Geminus." Sonic Shriek sneered, looking at her. "I heard you were dead."

"Well, don't believe everything you read on the internet." She snapped, splitting into five. The first two of the duplicates charged directly at Sonic Shriek, only to be caught up in his sonic scream. But, evidently from the way the rest of them acted instantly, she'd been expecting it. Two of the other duplicates attacked Sonic Shriek from the side, one going for his legs, and the other aiming a punch to his head. Sonic Shriek spun around and blasted one of them away with a sonic shriek, before dealing a heavy blow to the stomach of the other one. That's when the last of the Geminuses attacked, leaping into the air, spinning around, and kicking him across the face. He hit the ground hard, just as the other duplicates recovered, surrounding him.

"You okay?" One of them asked me.

"I don't know." I climbed to my feet. "Kinda hurts that my best friend let me believe she was dead."

She briefly looked guilty. "We should talk." She decided.

"That's an understatement." I agreed, glaring at her.

 **Calla's POV**

"This was such a bad idea." Chase commented, as we watched Oliver drag himself back into the apartment. I looked at him, wondering just how he managed to get himself entirely covered in mud.

"Dude?" I questioned, gesturing at him.

"I was at the zoo. A baby fell into the alligator pen." He explained before heading upstairs. I looked at Chase and he shrugged.

"Happens more often than you'd think." He reasoned, just as Kaz landed on the veranda, soaking wet.

"AJ! Towel!' He called. AJ grabbed a towel off the couch and tossed it to him.

"What happened to you?" Chase questioned.

"I was trying to help some old lady fix her water tank, and it exploded, okay?" He grumbled, annoyed. We both looked at him. "There's, like, no one who needs saving today!"

"He's got a point." AJ agreed.

"What's the score?" Kaz questioned, drying his hair with the towel.

"Well, Oliver saved the couple whose house caught fire, the man whose care got stuck in a ditch, and the baby at the zoo, and you saved that family of four whose apartment got broken into by that robber, and…I don't think the water tank lady counts seeing as it exploded, so right now, you're both tied at four."

"I need to beat him." Kaz muttered. "But there's no one left…ooh."

"No, you can't cause a life-threatening situation to save the person's life." I told him. His face fell.

"Party-pooper." He muttered. "You're worse than Skylar."

"You want me to tell her you said that?" I challenged. He shook her head quickly.

"She's scarier." He admitted, just as our phones went off.

"Mission alert?" Oliver shouted, jogging down the stairs, leaving muddy shoe-prints in his wake. "Sweet! I can save more people and kick Kaz's butt!"

"I am so glad that your focus is on saving people." I commented sarcastically. "MISS, what's up?"

" _It appears that the mayor's office has caught fire_." The AI explained. _"Several people are trapped inside."_

"Sweet! Saving the mayor will give me twice the points!" Kaz grinned.

" _Then it is unfortunate that Mayor Hannon is safely outside of the building."_ MISS commented. I smirked at the slight hint of sarcasm.

"Suit up. Oliver, use your connection with Dani to tell her, Bree, and Skylar to get theirs butts back here." Chase instructed. Oliver nodded, then paused. He frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Um…they can't make it. They're in Philadelphia." He sounded confused. "I'm not sure what's going on, but it has something to do with our favorite red-head."

"Liv?" Kaz looked at him, surprised. Oliver nodded. "Damn, Red. What you been up to?"

"That's a story you're going to have to wait for. We need to go." I informed them.

 **Xxx**

"Alright, what's the plan?" I questioned as we rushed onto the scene. I looked up at the four-story mayor's office, grimacing when I saw that the entire top floor was engulfed in flames. "Chase?"

"Alright. The fire department are already trying to save the building, so we'll focus on the people inside. Kaz, Oliver, since you two can fly out if something goes wrong, you take the top two floors. I'll take the second and work my way down to the first. Calla, you direct the firemen and women to where they need to go."

"Wait, why don't I take the first floor? The fire department doesn't need my help." I argued.

"I'm sorry, Calla, but you're more helpful out here." Chase insisted. He looked at the boys. "Let's go."

They all rushed inside, the latter two flying up to go through the windows. I tried to do what I could, but after the fire chief assuring me that they had it handled, and two minutes of waiting, I was done. "Screw this." I muttered to myself before rushing into the building.

Immediately, I was hit by a wave of heat, the crackling of the fire in my ears. I quickly pulled one of our portable breathing masks out of my pocket, glad that Davenport kept a large supply of these in Mission Command for such missions, and began looking around. I went from room to room, searching for survivors.

 **Dani's POV**

"You're over-reacting." Alivia rolled her eyes as I led her through the streets, towards the Domain.

"It's been six months, Liv." I told her, forcing myself not to yell or anything. "Six months, and you didn't call, didn't email, nothing. Hell, you didn't even access the superhero network. And don't tell me you forgot the password."

"You're mad, I get it." She sighed. "But to be fair, you're the one who moved out of the state."

I glanced at her. "How'd you know that?"

"You kidding? That video of Oliver breaking that weight-lifter's foot went viral." She smirked softly. I almost smiled.

"But you knew where we were, and you never…you never tried to contact us. We thought you were dead, Liv." I looked at her, hurt, before continuing towards the Domain.

"I know. I'm sorry." She told me sincerely. "I should have called, I just…I've been busy."

"Yeah, taking on every supervillain in existence by yourself." I muttered as we reached the Domain. Alivia paused, frowning.

"How did you know what I've been doing?" She asked, confused, as I led her into the store. Barry, Skylar, and Bree were all waiting inside for us. "Hey guys…"

"Hey, Geminus." Skylar greeted from her spot on the couch.

"I'm going to go do another round around the city." Bree decided. "Just to make sure those villains who got away don't come back."

She sped out the comic book store then, leaving us alone. "Shouldn't we go help her?" Alivia questioned, looking over her shoulder. "I mean, Dani told me that Sonic Shriek was the only one we were able to capture. The rest got away, right?"

"They're handled, for now." Barry assured her. He glanced at the rest of us. "We wanted to talk to you."

Alivia looked at her, then sighed and rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me." She muttered.

"We're just…we're worried about you, Liv." Skylar explained, gently. "You're taking on all these villains alone, all by yourself, refusing anyone's help. You're going to get hurt."

"This is an intervention. This is a freaking intervention." Alivia muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. She dropped her hand and her head snapped upwards to glare furiously at Barry. "Seriously, Barry?"

"Don't give me that look." He retorted. "I tried to help. You told me to screw off. And then I had to watch you get your butt kicked by the Disembowler, and then my Dreadlock, and then by Nightstrike, twice."

"Hey, I beat those first two eventually." The Irish girl defended herself. "And Dreadlock's sidekick."

"Eventually being the key words. How many times have you gotten hurt? How many bones have you broken, Liv?" Barry challenged. "I got sick of seeing you get hurt, so I called Dani and Skylar to step in."

"Ollie and Kaz would be here to, just as concerned as we are, but we couldn't afford to leave Calla and Chase all alone." I added. "Because you need people to have your back. That's the point of a team, Alivia. And I think you need one."

"Look," It was clear that this turn of events had caught Alivia off guard, and she wasn't happy, "I appreciate the concern, but I don't need help."

"You look exhausted." Skylar told her, and she was right. I'd noticed it earlier – her skin was pale, with darker bags under her eyes, and she'd obviously lost some weight. "You can't keep doing this on your own."

"Watch me." Alivia challenged.

"Why are you being so stubborn, Red?" Barry sighed, crossing his arms and shook his head. She glared at him.

"I explained this to you, Barry." She snapped.

"Well, you want to explain it to us?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Look. The League of Heroes is gone. Every one of the members were killed when Mighty Med was destroyed. Someone's got to pick up their slack. My father was a League member; it might as well be me."

"And you can't accept help…why?" Skylar asked.

"I don't need it." She snapped. "Besides, what do you expect me to do? Standby and let the bad guys take over?"

"You could have come to us." I pointed out. Alivia looked at me coldly.

"Really? Because I did come to you for help before. I distinctly remember you refusing, in some rather colorful words." She accused. I flinched, remembering that conversation.

Before I could figure out what to say next, Alivia's phone vibrated. Her face darkened upon reading what it said. "I have to go. Someone's screwing with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge; it's probably the other villains." She looked at us. "It was great to see you, and thanks for the concern, but I've got this. Stay out of my way."

She didn't wait for a reply, instead turning on her heels and walking out. "What was that last bit about?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"It's um…it's a long story." I explained. I looked at Barry. "We are going after her though, right?"

"Absolutely. Just let me grab my stuff." He replied.

 **Oliver's POV**

"And that's four more to my total!" I declared, dropping another person onto the ground. I grinned at Kaz, who'd just finished bringing his second survivor down from the fourth floor.

"My floor's done. I'm taking over yours." He told me, flying up.

"No, you're not! Those are my saves!" I shouted, flying after him. We both landed on the third floor, where the flames threatened to swallow up the ceiling. The smoke stung my eyes, but I was grateful for the clean air filtering through the oxygen masks Calla had handed out. Kaz and I quickly began going through the remaining rooms, searching for survivors. By this point, we were tied, and with so little people left in the building, the next one of us to save anyone would likely win the contest.

Suddenly, I heard something. At first, I wasn't sure what it was – it could have been just the fire, or some piece of debris falling – but then I heard it again, this time far clearer. "Help!"

Kaz and I both looked up at the same time, looking in the direction of one of the rooms at the end of the hall. We glanced at each other, then raced towards the room. I rammed into the door, not wanting to touch the likely very hot doorknob if I could avoid it.

"Hello?" Kaz shouted, as the flames grew higher. A harsh couch came from near an over-turned desk. I rushed forward and lifted the desk up, allowing a young man who was trapped underneath to crawl away from the desk.

"Thanks." He coughed deeply. Kaz reached into his pocket and pulled out an oxygen mask, handing it to the guy. He was a few years older than us, early twenties, with short, dirty blonde hair covered soot and ash. "Seriously."

"No prob. I'm Oliver. This is Kaz." I told him.

"Miles." He replied before coughing and looking around. Before any of us could do anything, the ceiling suddenly creaked loudly, and a beam from above fell a bit, barely hanging on from the back of it. "Whoa!"

"I got it!" Kaz and I shouted at the same time, raising our hands in sync. We both blasted it at the same time, but somewhere in the blast, the two opposing elements hit each other and created an explosion. We all ducked to avoid it, but the explosion dislodged the wooden beam, which proceeded to fall through the already weakened floor, through the second, and down onto the first. There were a few shouts and screams from the floor below.

"I hope no one was hurt." I commented. Kaz raised his hand to the comm. in his ear.

"Uh, Chase, there may have been a little incident with a beam." He told them.

" _We know."_ Calla's voice echoed in our ear. _"What did you idiots do?"_

" _Wait, Calla, are you down here?"_ We heard Chase question.

"Yeah, I came in to help." She sighed. "Look, guys. I don't know what you did, but that beam crashed through the floor. Chase and I are in the basement now. Might need a little help getting out."

"Copy that. We'll just get this guy out, then come back for you." I promised.

" _Why didn't you stay outside?"_ Chase questioned, speaking to his fiancé.

" _You really want to have this conversation right now?"_ Calla questioned. Kaz and I exchanged looks, then turned off our comms.

"They're getting married." I said to Miles by way of explanation. "We'll check in with them in a few. For now, let's get you out of here."

 **Dani's POV**

Alivia had reached the Benjamin Franklin Bridge before us, and by time we got there, she'd already engaged the other supervillains. She had split into eight, two for each villain, but it was clearly wearing her out, each of her blows or ducks coming slower and slower.

"Seriously? Experion?" Skylar muttered, recognizing her friend-turned-enemy. I looked over the rest, recognizing them from past incidents or comic books. There was Hunter Bounty, one of the greatest (and scariest) bounty hunters in the universe, along with Soul Slayer, the demonic teleporter, and Nightstrike, a Normo villain with serious knife throwing skills.

"Well, I'm not waiting around for her to get her butt kicked." I told the others, watching as one of Alivia's duplicates was thrown off the bridge and into the river below. Without waiting to see if the others were coming, I flew into the air, zooming towards the villains.

"Hey! Douchebag!" I shouted, getting Nightstrike's attention before he could stab Alivia. I barged right into him, almost knocking him off the bridge. He stumbled backwards, while I landed on my feet, a few feet away from my best friend. "Get rid of a couple of duplicates." I advised Alivia. "Seven's too much."

"I've got this. I don't need your help!" She snapped, even as Bree and Skylar sped onto the scene, Barry close behind them, clad in his new superhero suit. I had to admit, for someone with no ability to sew whatsoever, and no connections to buy anything elaborate, it was a pretty decent suit. His shirt, sneakers, and mask that covered everything from the nose up were deep red, the same red as Logan High's school colors, while his pants and gloves were black, making for a nice combination of colors. He was a good shot too, taking aim at Soul Slayer from over 100 feet away. Unfortunately, the demon teleported away, the arrow flying through the spot he'd been and into the river below.

"Well, we're not leaving. So deal with it!" Bree shouted, speeding past me and charging at where Soul Slayer reappeared. The demon was too fast for her, and teleported away again. "C'mon!" She exclaimed, skidding to a stop near the edge of the bridge.

"Look out!" Skylar suddenly cried, shooting her hands out. Alivia and I both ducked as the blast went over our heads and hit Hunter Bounty in the chest.

"You were saying?" I questioned to Skylar, even as I turned to face the bounty hunter. I glanced at the others. "Pick you target, stay on him."

"Hello, Skylar." I heard Experion greet smoothly, the cockiness in his tone driving me nuts. But I couldn't focus on him – I had a feeling that Skylar wanted him all for herself. I felt Alivia back up against me, and I watched as most of her duplicates disappeared.

"Fine. Together." She muttered reluctantly as Nightstrike and Hunter Bounty circled us. I nodded, then separated my hands to create a lightning ball.

We charged at the same time, me shoot the ball of electrical energy out at Nightstrike in front of me, while Alivia used her agility to push off the ground, leap into the air, and spin a kick towards Hunter Bounty's head. The villains were expecting it, of course, but we'd figured they would. I dropped to the ground and spun around, forming another ball of electricity, slightly smaller than the last. The moment my target came into the view, I shot it at Hunter Bounty. He'd only just blocked Alivia's kick, and didn't have any time to prepare for my attack.

The ball of electricity hit him straight in the gut, knocking him back a few steps. It wasn't enough to knock him down, but it caught him off guard, and that's all Alivia needed to spin around and kick him as hard as she could in the gut. He fell back, over the edge of the bridge, and into the waters below. I rushed to the edge, planning to jump in if I had to, but was relieved when I saw that Alivia's duplicate, the one that had been knocked over a few minutes before, was already dragging the criminal to shore.

To my left, I saw that Bree and Barry had teamed up as well, the latter shooting arrows at Soul Slayer, while the former was ready to attack the moment the demon teleported away. It was a solid plan, as Soul Slayer barely reappeared before the speedster rushed him. Skylar and Experion were fighting at the other end of the bridge, trading blows and harsh words. Apparently, Skylar still wasn't over that last couple of times he tried to kill her.

"Dani!" Alivia shouted suddenly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to the ground, mere seconds before a knife flew through the spot I'd been standing. We both snapped our heads up at the same time to glower at Nightstrike, the villain holding another pair of knives loosely in his hand. He smirked at us, amused, then dropped the knives. He pulled a pair of black batons out of the back of his jacket, twirling them once before charging at us. Alivia stepped out of the way, but I stood my ground, raising my hands to deflect the blows. I charged my hands and wrists up with electricity and began matching him blow for blow, my powers helping to drain some of the strength out of the attack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alivia split into two.

"Duck!" She shouted and I dropped to the ground, not even pausing to question it. Nightstrike spun around to face the duplicates, but not before they started their attack. One of the duplicates leapt into the air and used her full body weight to knock the batons from his grasp, while the other tackled him. He tripped over me and both he and the duplicate went over the edge of the bridge, creating two loud splashes when they landed.

I let out a laugh, watching the duplicate and the one from earlier drag him over to Hunter Bounty, the bounty hunter already tied up. I looked at Alivia, grinning, and held out my fist. "Superheroes?"

She gave me a bemused smile, before hitting her fist against mine. "Superheroes."

"Ooh, dang. That looks like a cold swim." Bree commented, walking over to us. I looked past her to see that Barry was currently forcing power-suppressing hand cuffs onto Soul Slayer, an arrow sticking out of the demon's thigh. Skylar, on the other hand, was standing over a bruised and beaten Experion.

"I'll get my revenge." He muttered. Skylar rolled her eyes, having had enough of him.

"Hey, take a picture." I told her, grinning. "Ollie will love it."

"I guess, maybe, I did need your help." Alivia admitted. I looked at her, grinning.

"What was that? I'm sorry, what?" I asked, leaning in close. She rolled her eyes.

"You just love being right, don't you?" She questioned. I shrugged, and looked around the bridge, a thought just now occurring to me.

"Hey, it's like…four in the afternoon, right? What are the odds that no Normo has driven past this bridge since the fight began?" I questioned.

"Weird." Barry agreed with a frown.

"Not really. Superheroes just get this kind of luck." Alivia commented, looking around. She glanced at the villains. "But luck eventually runs out. We should deal with these guys before we get caught in a situation that we can't explain."

 **Calla's POV**

"Calla?" I heard Chase call, his voice coming from somewhere to my left.

"Over here." I called back, staying where I was. The basement of the mayor's office was pitch black, with the exception of the flames coming from above, and the massive hole in the first floor, allowing what little sunlight made it past the smoke to stream down to the floor. Chase came walking towards me, covered in soot. "You okay?"

"It was a rough-landing, but yeah. You?" He checked, examining me.

"Fine, but I'm almost out of O2. The good news is that smoke rises, so even if we do run out, we'll have more time than we would if we were still on the first or second floor." I replied. I looked over at the beam that fell, the flames having died a few seconds ago, but the wood burnt to a crisp. "Those idiots. What were they thinking?"

"What were you thinking?" Chase questioned. "You wouldn't be down here if you'd stayed outside."

"You're not mission leader anymore, Chase." I reminded him, craning my neck to see if there was a way we could get out without having to wait for the boys to get us out. "And I wasn't going to wait around out there while you guys did all the work."

"Calla, you're more helpful with the fire chief than in here, looking for survivors." He told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Doing what?" I questioned, unzipping my mission suit jacket. Damn, it was getting hot in here. "Chase, admit it: you benched me."

"And why would I do that?" He questioned. "And please don't give me any of that 'because you're a girl' stuff that Bree would."

"Because I don't have powers." I pointed out. He looked surprised. "Oh please. I'm the only one here that can't fly, or use telekinesis to avoid being crushed by flaming wood, so you told me to wait outside."

"I told you to wait outside in case something went wrong. I may be the smartest man in the world, but you're a better strategist. Out of all of us, you're the best at analyzing maps and seeing the little things I tend to miss. I wanted you outside so that if something like this happened," he gestured at the mess we were currently in, "you could talk me, or Kaz, or Oliver, on how to escape using your computer. You're our best asset when it comes to stuff like that. It has nothing to do with the fact that you don't have powers."

I hesitated. I hadn't thought of that at all. "Oh."

"You really thought it was because you don't have powers? That's ridiculous." He commented, looking around. I shrugged.

"Hey!" Suddenly, _finally_ , a voice came from above. "You guys mad we nearly killed you?"

"Yes." Chase and I both answered Kaz at once. "Dude, get us out of here."

"Once we figure out how to get down there without burning!" Oliver assured us.

"Well, we're screwed." I muttered.

"Heard that!" The boys shouted.

 **Oliver's POV**

" _Well, we're screwed."_ Calla muttered, not realized that we'd reactivated our comms.

"Heard that!" Kaz and I retorted. I stepped closer to the hole, but the edges of it had already caught fire.

"We are going to have to figure this out." Kaz muttered. "I mean, the fire won't hurt me, so I can fly down there without a problem, but it's getting them back up that's the problem."

"How about we put the contest on hold?" I suggested.

"That would be nice." Chase commented, reminding us that the two geniuses were listening in on everything we were saying.

"No one asked you." Kaz commented. He nodded at me. "But yeah, deal. I guess we can both be the hero."

"I can use my powers to keep the fire from spreading," There was too much for me to get rid of completely. The fire department had already condemned the building as it was. "You fly down and get them."

"Got it." Kaz didn't wait, instead taking a step back, then running forward and jumping through the hole. Shaking my head, I raised my hands and used my cryoblast to kill the fire around the hole, just as Kaz came flying through the hole, giving a peeved-looking Calla a piggy-back ride.

"New rule." She announced after he set her down and went back for Chase. "No more contests. Ever. It always ends badly."

"Agreed." I nodded.

"I'm with her." Chase agreed as Kaz flew the two of them up to the main floor.

"Yeah, good call. Besides, I totally won." Kaz grinned.

"No, you didn't." I retorted. Calla groaned loudly, put her hands on my shoulders, and started pushing me towards the exit.

"Can we _please_ get out of here _before_ the entire building burns down?"

 **Calla's POV**

"Well, at least we got everyone out." I commented, watching at the entire fourth floor of the mayor's office collapsed onto the third. The fire department was finishing up, putting the last of the fire out with Oliver's help, but there was no way this building would be in use…probably ever again. "That's the important part."

"I have to agree." We turned around to see a blonde-haired woman walking towards us.

"Mayor Hannon." Chase greeted, nodding respectfully.

"Yes. Misters Davenport, Broadman, Short, and Miss Parker, am I correct?" She questioned as Oliver walked up to us.

"Yes, m'am." I glanced over at the boys, wondering how she knew who we were.

"Mr. Davenport informed me of your Elite Force a few months ago, so that if any of you were caught interfering with any sort of police investigation or such, we'd know why." She explained, noticing the confusion on our face. "I wanted to thank you for your help today. You saved 12 lives."

"It was no problem m'am." Kaz assured her, being unusually respectful, just as a guy with dirty blonde hair jogged.

"M'am," he spoke to the mayor, "I need to speak with you."

"Very well, Agent Hunt." She nodded. She looked at us. "Thank you once again for your help with the situation. Centium City is lucky to have you."

She and Agent Hunt walked away. "Dude, we just got personally thanked by the mayor!" Oliver grinned. I smiled, remembering how excited Chase and I had been when we were first thanked by the President.

"Never mind that. Miles is called an agent. He must be a spy. Dude, we just saved a spy." Kaz grinned.

"You didn't save a spy." Chase told him.

"You can't prove that." The pyrokinetic replied smugly before walking away. I looked at Chase.

"Hey, when we go on our honeymoon…do we have to come back?" I asked, half-joking.

 **Dani's POV**

"Alright. Thanks." After about twenty minutes of arguing with Bob, the kid _finally_ handed Mr. Davenport the phone. She quickly explained the situation, and after what I highly suspected was a sigh and him thinking 'do those kids go LOOKING for trouble?' he replied. She nodded along as he spoke, gave us a thumbs-up.

"So?" Alivia walked back over to us. Looking past her, I could see our four captured villains tied up and gagged in the back room of the Domain.

"You know, I really hope Gus doesn't walk in here and see that." Barry commented, frowning. Bree hung up her phone.

"Mr. Davenport's sending some people out here to collect them and bring them to a government holding facility that's capable of holding people with abilities." She announced. "They should be here in a couple of hours."

"Which is good, because we need to get home. Calla and the boys must be wondering where we are by now." Skylar reminded us.

"If they're not still on a mission." I added. Both she and Bree looked at me, confused.

"What mission?" They asked in sync.

"Oh, right. Didn't tell you about that." I laughed sheepishly. "Oops."

Skylar laughed, not at all surprised by this, while Bree just shook her head in exasperation. "Well, I guess we really need to go now." The speedster decided.

"Hey, if you guys ever get bored of Philadelphia, come join us in Centium City." Skylar told our friends. Alivia and Barry exchanged looks. "What?"

"Um, I'm not staying in Philadelphia." Alivia admitted. I looked at her, ecstatic.

"You're going to join the team?" I asked hopefully. To my disappointment, she shook her head.

"I thought about what you said, about me needing a team. And, I think you're right. I do need someone watching my back. The reason the League of Heroes worked out so well was because they worked together." She explained. "But I'm not the only hero that's still out there, wanting to help. There are others. I'm going to find them."

"And I'm going to help her." Barry added.

"Geminus and…" Skylar paused, looking at him uncertainly.

"Arciere. It's Italian." He offered.

"Geminus and Arciere. The founding members of the…New League of Heroes." Skylar smiled. Alivia nodded. "Where are you guys going to start?"

"Well, if you've got some intel, I'd love to have it. But I was thinking…New York first. Barry mentioned a hero being there. And I know of a couple in Canada. And then…I don't know. We'll figure it out."

"Well, be careful." Skylar gave the Irish girl a hug. "And call us if you need any help."

"Likewise. You and your…Elite Force get in over your heads, you give me a call. I'll come running." Alivia promised.

"We'll come running." Barry corrected, giving both Skylar and I a hug.

"It was really good to meet you." Bree told them. "I've so many good things, and it's good to know that we're not the only ones fighting."

"Well, I've never met a super speeder before. Really glad that I can now say that I have." Barry joked.

"To who?" Alivia questioned, looking at him. He paused, thinking about it.

"Oh, right." He realized. "Myself, I guess."

"Hey…can we talk?" I asked Alivia, nodding at the door. She nodded and followed me outside.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier." She apologized before I could say anything. "That comment I made about you not refusing to help me before…that was uncalled for."

"Well, I pretty much told you to go to hell that first time, so…" I reminded her, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "And I shouldn't. I'm sorry."

"We cool?" Liv asked hopefully. I nodded.

"Always." I promised her. She smiled happily, and went to go inside. I stopped her before she could. "I'm not done."

"I thought we were cool." She commented, frowning. I nodded quickly.

"We are. But…look, you asked me a favor that day, and-" I began. She cut in.

"You had every right to say no. I shouldn't have asked you to do that." She told me. I looked her in the eye.

"I'm in." I told her. She looked at me, confused.

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm in." I repeated myself.

"If this is about tonight…" I shook my head, causing her to trail off.

"It's not. You were right to ask, and as much as I hate saying this, you're right. So, count me in." I insisted. She looked me over, trying to tell if I was serious or not, then nodded.

"Alright. Let's do this." She agreed.

 **Calla's POV**

"We're home!" Bree sang as she sauntered into the penthouse, Skylar and Dani following closely behind.

"Where have you guys been?" Chase questioned. The two of us were at the kitchen table, while Kaz and Oliver played video games in the living room.

"Oh, you know, home." Dani replied, sitting on the arm of the couch and looking at the boy's video game. She suddenly gasped and reached into her bag. "Oh! I forgot! Barry sent you guys these. They got early copies at the Domain."

She pulled out two video game cases and handed one to each of them. "Sweet! Styx: Shards of Darkness!" Kaz beamed, turning it over on his hands.

"So, wait, seriously. Liv's alright?" Oliver asked, looking at the girls. They exchanged looks.

"Yeah, yeah she is. And if she's not, she's got Barry." Skylar assured him.

"Who, by the way, is now a superhero." Dani added incredulously. "I mean, he doesn't have powers, which makes him not nearly as badass as we are, but he's still superhero."

"We miss all the fun." Kaz complained, even as he read the back of the video game.

"What'd you guys do?" Bree asked, walking over to the table and grabbing an apple.

"We saved a spy's life!" Kaz grinned.

"He wasn't a spy!" Chase exclaimed, a little annoyed by this point.

"Um, Calla?" Skylar looked over at me. I sighed.

"So these two idiots," I gestured to the offended Kaz and Oliver, "had a little competition, and there was a mission, and they nearly got us killed."

"Sounds eventful." Bree complimented me. Dani looked at Kaz and her brother.

"What kind of competition?" She inquired, sliding off the arm of the couch.

"Which one of us was each other's sidekick." Kaz explained. Dani gave them both a confused smile.

"Well, that's just stupid. Neither of you guys are each other's sidekicks." She told them.

"Thank you." I sighed in relief.

"You're my sidekicks." Dani beamed at their expressions, then skipped to the stairs and headed up to the second floor. Kaz and Oliver exchanged looks, then raced after her, arguing that she was the sidekick instead.

I sighed audibly. "Here we go again."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? This is the first of my original chapters, so I really want your honest opinion here. Oh, and what do you think about Barry and Alivia creating the New League of Heroes? Is that something you want to see happen?**

 **Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few chapters:**

 **March 20** **th** **: The Rock**

 **March 28** **th** **: Home Sweet Home**

 **April 3** **rd** **: Sheep Shifting**

 **April 17** **th** **: Game of Drones**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, don't forget to let me know what you thought of the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	11. The Rock

**Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm here with another chapter. Time for The Rock! I'm particularly excited about this chapter – I've made some key changes I want to hear your opinion about. But for now, let's move onto the shoutouts, shall we?**

 **Xxx**

 **Guest: Why thank you, that means a lot. Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Originalguest: I'm glad you're excited! And if you like the idea of them forming the New League of Heroes, then I've got a surprise for you! Check out the last author's notes for more details on it. As for the girls, they'll both get a kind of upgrade. You'll have to read to get more details on it. Anyway, thank you very much, and yes, I will be doing a second season. The whole story, both seasons included, should be about 35 chapters long. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Artxmisbae: Thanks so much! Seriously, thank you! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: Oh, trust me, if you read the original version of the chapter, you'd understand why I was worried. The second version, the one I posted, turned out SO much better than first. Yes, it is sad that Jaime's gone, but I needed something to motivate Alivia to keep fighting, and revenge is certainly a good motive. I'll go more into depth with that at a later date. As for Dani and Liv's conversation, keep waiting. I think it'll catch you by surprise. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter so much, and I hope you enjoy this one too.**

 **LabGirl2001: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, especially those two parts. And yes, Barry's a hero now. That's going to be fun to see. And as for their little deal, you're going to have to wait a little bit before I unveil that little surprise. Oh, I've got a few surprises concerning Dani – I don't think anyone will see some of these coming. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it. As for what Alivia wanted, you're going to have to wait to find out. Now, about that comment "I was busy" you're not supposed to like it. Alivia's going through a rough time, and she just didn't want anyone else getting involved. It was SUPPOSED to be a bad excuse. And to answer your question, when I start writing two stories, for the most part I'm going to be posting 2 chapters a week (The Power of Seven on Mondays and Love and War on Fridays). At least that's the plan. However, there will be a few occasions in which I only have enough time to write 1 chapter a week, so whichever chapter interferes with my schedule the most will have to be put on hold, such as when I'm in finals. But for the most part, there will be 2 chapters a week. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Eliteforce12: Thank you so much, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Thank you! Seriously, thanks! I'm glad you liked both the main part and the sub-plot. As for Calla's lack of abilities, that conversation is going to happen very soon. And no, Liv's not handling this well at all. You're correct about her over-extending herself with the number of clones she creates, but at least she's got Barry to keep her in check. Or to call for an intervention when he can't handle her himself. Love and War is going to be pretty interesting, especially with the couple of heroes without powers. It's going to be a fun ride – I'm really looking forward to writing it. As for Dani and Alivia's conversation, you're going to have to wait for the truth behind that. It's going to be interesting – I've got a few crazy plots for her, one of which will be starting towards the end of the season. And yes, MISS. I actually hadn't thought of that, but I'm not sure why. It's a good idea, and it'll give me a good sub-plot for an upcoming chapter. Anyway, thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **GU3ST: Thanks for the suggestion, it is a good one, but I've already got a name in mind for Dani.**

 **NightAngel365: Thanks so much! I guess I was worried because the original version sucked. No joke, I don't know if I've ever written anything that bad. I'm really glad I rewrote it. So thank you. I'm really glad you liked it. Anyway, I know you're excited about the chapter, so I hope you enjoy it too!**

 **IAMAGUEST: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! As for Dani and Alivia's conversation, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait to find out. I can't give anything away just yet, but I think you'll be surprised. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Calla: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns me, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Skylar's POV**

"I LOVE that movie! I've seen it five times." AJ beamed as we all walked into the Penthouse. We'd just gone out to see that new Logan movie, and AJ had begged us to let him come with. "Oh, I hope I didn't ruin the ending for you guys."

"No." Kaz's voice was full of sarcasm. "You already ruined the beginning and the middle, so I didn't really care about the end."

"It's like having Leo around again." Bree murmured to Calla. The genius smirked.

"He did have the habit of spoiling the ending." She agreed.

"So, uh, what do you guys wanna do now?" AJ questioned, plopping himself down on our couch. Kaz, Dani, Oliver, Bree, and I all exchanged glances.

"Actually, why don't you stay right here while we go have a quick little team meeting out on the terrace, okay?" Dani suggested, patting the kid on the shoulder.

"Okay." AJ nodded and grabbed a book off the table. We all headed onto the veranda, but once the door closed behind us, we all turned on Chase and Calla.

"'Sup?" Calla commented, noticing the looks we were giving them.

"Look, I know you guys told AJ he could hang with us, but this is getting ridiculous." Bree told them. Oliver nodded.

"Yeah. This morning, I came down for a bowl of cereal, and he poured my milk." He added. "It was kinda nice, but also kinda creepy."

"Look, guys, the only reason that AJ's been hanging around so much is because he doesn't have any other friends." Chase reasoned.

"So, he's a mini you." Kaz accused.

"He's a good kid." Calla reminded us.

"Yes, and it's nice that you guys are looking out for him, but we just need a little bit of space." I explained to them. Oliver nodded.

"Not to mention, it's really risky. We have to keep our superhero status a secret." He added.

Calla and Chase sighed. "Fine." Calla grumbled.

"We get it. I'll just go break his heart and tell him he can't hang out with us as much." Chase glared at us, clearly upset with our decision, but respecting it all the same. We all walked back inside, where AJ was snacking on some cookies Jaden had sent for Bree.

"Great cookies." He complimented before rubbing his throat. "Got anything to wet my whistle?"

"You do it." Calla whispered suddenly, pushing Chase forward a step.

"Uh, AJ, I think we should talk." Chase looked back at the rest of us before continuing. The younger boy's attention was solely on him, a half-eaten cookie in his lap. "There's been some concern, mostly from the others, about you being around so much."

"I get it." To our surprise, AJ smiled at him kindly.

"You do?" Kaz questioned. AJ nodded.

"Of course. You're afraid I'm going to find out they're superheroes." He realized. We all stared at him.

"What?" "Us?" "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Dani, Kaz, and Oliver all exclaimed at the same time.

"They're bionic, AJ." Bree insisted.

"Uh, no you're not." AJ argued, looking at us like we were idiots. He pointed at me, then at Kaz and the twins, "She's an alien, and those two touched the Arcturion space rock."

We all exchanged looks. "He knows too much." Dani whispered, a panicked look on her face. She looked at Kaz. "Light up your fire hand! Take him out."

"Dani!" I scolded, shaking my head. She shrugged.

"What?" She retorted.

"No, Dee, Skylar's right." Oliver told her. I smiled gratefully. "We don't wanna make a mess. Better freeze this punk!"

He raised a fist to activate his cryoblast, but Calla quickly drew AJ behind her, giving Oliver a harsh look.

"Dude!" She snapped.

"How did you know we were superheroes?" I demanded.

"It's my fault. I'm just way too heroic-looking to pass for normal." Kaz bragged.

"I've known your secret for weeks." AJ interjected, poking his head out from behind Calla.

"I don't like this. Who knows what else is in that little cat-toy-sized head of his?" Bree muttered to Calla.

"If AJ tells the public that superheroes exist, it'll cause hysteria." I worried. "Not to mention, we'll be under a microscope which will make tracking Roman and Riker ever harder."

"Why would I sell you out when I'm trying to convince you to make me a part of the team?"

"He's got a point." Calla agreed, stepping away from him as she finally decided he was safe from Kaz, Oliver, and Dani.

"Look, AJ's a smart kid. I think we can trust him." Chase vouched for him.

"Or can we?" Kaz demanded, getting right in the kid's face. AJ didn't react, so Kaz nodded to himself before turning to us. "He didn't flinch. I think we're good."

"Now that we're cool, there's something I want to show you guys." AJ sauntered over to his backpack, which he'd left on one of the chairs by the chess table, and pulled out his IPad. "It's my Elite Force Breakdown. I compiled all of your abilities and superpowers, and then ranked your value to the team, one through seven."

He showed us the list of names on the device. I was first, Kaz was second, Dani was third, Bree fourth, Oliver fifth, Chase sixth, and finally Calla as the seventh. "Hey." Calla frowned, looking at the list. "Why am I last?"

"You don't have any powers, and Skylar has five really powerful ones." AJ pointed out. "By definition, that makes you less valuable to the team."

Calla looked at him for a moment, then pressed her lips together and turned to Oliver. "Okay, you can freeze him now."

"Why am I second last?" Chase complained, noticing how close to the bottom he was.

"It's not personal, guys." AJ promised him and Calla. "It's just accurate."

 **Dani's POV**

"Hey, what are you guys working on?" I inquired as Ollie and I walked into Mission Command. Chase and AJ were in the middle of the room, tinkering with a large scooter.

"Well, Chase wants to move up the list, so I'm helping him find a way to get to missions faster." AJ explained. "You and Kaz fly, Bree and Skylar have super speed, Calla as her Geo-Leap Watch…"

"And Chase has a bus pass." I added, smirking.

"Hey, it's not a bus pass. It also works for the subway." Chase objected. "Anyways, I came up with te idea for this A high-tech hover bike that will speed me to missions in no time."

"Cool. How does it work?" Ollie inquired.

"The hover technology allows it to float off the ground, and just wait until you see how fast it goes." AJ grinned. Chase strapped on a bicycle helmet, climbed onto the scooter, and pressed a button. It lifted into the air, where he changed the angle of it so that he faced an empty tunnel opening. He pressed another button and the hover bike began to move, though very slowly, towards the opening.

"Why am I going to slow?" Chase demanded, confused.

"Oh, let me try this." AJ offered before pressing something on his IPad. Suddenly, the hover bike lunged forward, speeding forward at speeds only Skylar and Bree could match. The momentum threw Chase forwards, into the rock wall near the tunnel.

"Well, at least we know the helmet works." AJ commented as Chase groaned in pain.

All of a sudden, the rock wall near the elevator slid open and Kaz walked out. He stopped short upon realizing that we were in mission command, a surprised look on his face.

"Hey, Kaz." I walked over to him and gave him a peck on the lips. "What were you doing in there?"

"I was, uh…" He froze, unable to come up with a good excuse. He looked past me, at Chase. "Chase, what's the word for exploring underground passages?"

"Spelunking." Chase offered.

"Yeah…I was exploring underground passages." Kaz told me, smiling widely. I crossed my arms, backing up.

"I know that fake smile." I accused.

"You're up to something." Ollie realized. "What are you hiding in there?"

"Nothing." He lied. I frowned, then tried to go see for myself what he was trying to hide, but Kaz blocked me. I tried going around him, but he stopped me again.

" _Ollie?"_ I called telepathically as I glanced back at my brother with a smirk. He nodded without even having to hear my plan. I turned to Kaz, smirked, then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pressed my lips against his. While he was distracted, Ollie slipped past him.

"Ha! I'm through!" He shouted, running into the tunnel. Kaz broke off our kiss.

"Not fair." He told me, only half-annoyed, before racing after my brother. AJ, Chase, and I ran after him, only stopping when we reached a very cluttered room. At first, I thought the whole room was filled with useless junk, but upon a closer examination, I started to recognize some of the junk: the gumball machine from The Domain, the Tecton costume Kaz wore to Comic Con last year, Alivia's destroyed mask, the take-out menu Kaz and I got on our first date from the restaurant he took me to, and an x-ray of the Crusher with a missile in his gut all caught my eye immediately.

"What is all this junk?" Chase questioned, looking around.

"It's not junk. They're my mementoes. I can never throw anything away." Kaz explained. "I can't help it; I'm a hoarder."

"And Katy's a memento?" Ollie questioned, pointing. I looked up to see my grey and white cat, perched on top of a stack of file boxes. I sighed and reached up for her, pulling her into my arms. She purred softly, rubbing her head against my hand.

"Is this your retainer?" Chase questioned, picking up a thin piece of metal off a filing cabinet.

"It's A retainer." Kaz corrected, grinning. "Try it on. I did."

"I just kissed you." I murmured, slightly disgusted now. "Gross, Kaz."

"What's this?" AJ spoke up. We turned to see the kid next to an open storage box, holding a very special glass pyramid with a ball of deadly, hot pink energy inside it. Inscribed on the orb was an infinity symbol, one I hadn't seen since my mother left us.

"That's the Arcturion." I realized, turning to give Ollie and Kaz a confused look.

"The thing that gave you guys your super powers?" Chase questioned. We all nodded. "Ah, a pyramid with a glowing racquetball inside. Now that is science."

"I thought Mom had this thing." I frowned, confused.

"So did I. How'd it get in here?" Ollie asked, looking at Kaz. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I went back to Mighty Med after it was destroyed and grabbed everything I could – figured it would be better than letting Normos or villains get to this stuff. It must have been in one of those storage bins." He decided. "I didn't even realize it was in here."

"How do we open it?" AJ inquired.

"You don't." Ollie said quickly, taking the pyramid away from him. "If any human makes direct contact with the orb, it'll kill them."

"It's the coolest thing I've ever seen." AJ told us, reaching for it. "I just wanna-"

"No." I told him.

"-touch it so-"

"No." Kaz stopped him.

"-I can study it."

"No!" Ollie snapped.

"Here." I dumped Katy is his arms. "Play with her."

"But she hates me." He complained as she glared up at him. I nodded.

"Like I said. Play with her." I replied before turning back to the guys.

"Look, we can't keep this thing around here. It's too dangerous." Chase told us sternly. "Mr. Davenport has a storage area at Facility X where it'll be safe. It's isolated, and secure, so no one will touch it. You three take it there."

"Fine." We all agreed.

"Why would you save this?" AJ called, holding up a small, dark, furry thing.

"I didn't. That's a dead rat." Kaz replied. AJ blanched in disgust, dropping the rat.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Hey guys." I greeted as I walked into the kitchen. Bree was at the kitchen table, eating dinner, while Calla was typing on her laptop.

"Hey Skylar." Bree greeted, while Calla pointedly ignored me.

"What are you doing?" I inquired, sitting near her on the couch. She continued to ignore me. I sighed in exasperation. "Don't tell me you're upset that I'm higher on the list than you."

"Of course not!" She looked up at me, annoyed. "AJ's just a kid. What does he know about ranking heroes, or how much value any one of us brings to the team."

"Well, he is pretty smart, ad he did calculate everything based on facts and statistics." Bree pointed out.

"And he does have a point that I have a lot of powers and you don't." I added, trying to help her understand the logic.

"I understand thorough reasoning!" Calla snapped, peeved. She let out a long sigh, then looked at us. "Look, I don't need powers. I am totally capable with my weapons. Why do we need a list to tell us who's better than anyone else? We're all heroes, we're all good at what we do."

"I couldn't agree with you more." I told her. Calla nodded, closed her laptop, and got off the couch.

"Good." She declared.

"Where are you going?" Bree questioned.

"To figure out how to make myself better than you." The genius declared. I sighed and shook my head. Calla headed for the hyperlift just as it opened up. Dani, Kaz, and Oliver walked out, holding the Arcturion in their arms. "What's that?"

"The Arcturion space rock." Dani replied cheerfully. Calla frowned.

"The thing that gave you powers?" She questioned sharply.

"You know, I always imagined it would be inside some sort of magic lamp." Bree commented, smirking.

"Oh, that's just ridiculous. Where would the genie live?" Kaz retorted.

"Look, I don't even wanna know why that's here, but you need to get rid of it right away." I told the three of them. Roman and Riker knew where we lived, and they'd gotten into mission command before. The list was one thing, but if they ever got their hands on the Arcturion, they'd be able to take over the world.

"Already on it." Oliver assured me. "We're taking it to Mr. Davenport's storage facility."

"Good." I nodded. "I mean, I'd help, but this seems more like a job for numbers two, three, and five."

"Hey, wanna grab some fro-yo?" I asked Bree and Calla.

"Yeah, sure." Bree agreed. Calla shook her head.

"Nah, I'm gonna go work on stuff." She replied, heading up to her room. Bree and I shrugged, grabbed our purses, and left the Penthouse, heading for the nearest fro-yo shop.

 **Dani's POV**

"We should get this to Facility X." I told the boys.

"Wait." Kaz stopped me. He had a gleam in his eyes. "I was thinking. We got powers from this once. Maybe, before we take it back, we can find a way to safely touch the orb and get even more powers."

"Dude." Ollie looked at him seriously, before he grinned. "I don't know a single thing about that idea I don't love."

"Well, Dee?" They turned to me expectantly.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." I agreed, grinning back at them.

 **Xxx**

After a few hours of brainstorming, and a trip to the hardware store, we were finally working on our device to allow us to safely touch the Arcturion. But just as we were putting it together, Skylar and Bree walked in from getting fro-yo.

"What is that?" Bree questioned, looking at the object in our hands. I looked back at the red tube with the attachments we'd added.

"A garden shear pool noodle plunger." Ollie replied, struggling to come up with a good excuse.

"Obviously." Kaz added, backing him up.

"Chase! Calla!" Skylar called. Chase came jogging down the stairs a moment later, his shirt hastily pulled on over still wet hair.

"What?" He demanded. "I was taking a shower."

"Do you know anything about this?" Bree questioned. He looked over at us, confused.

"No, and I'm not sure I want to." He admitted. "That being said, what are you guys doing?"

Well, we were busted. "We built this because we wanted to touch the Arcturion without getting zapped." I confessed.

"Wait, you still have it?" Skylar demanded.

"Get rid of it like I told you to." Chase ordered. We all sighed.

"Fine. Consider it gone." Kaz walked into the kitchen, bent down and opened up the cupboard doors where we'd hidden the space rock. He stood up a moment later, his arms empty. "Actually, it is gone."

"What do you mean it's gone?" Ollie demanded, pushing past Kaz to check the cupboard himself. "Where is the world could it have gone?"

"Somebody must have taken it." I realized. I looked at Chase, Bree, and Skylar. "We left the Penthouse for maybe twenty minutes to go get supplies."

"I bet it was AJ." Ollie spoke up. "He wanted the Arcturion the moment he saw it."

"Which is weird, because usually it attracts villains, not small children." I added, frowning. Just then, the front door opened and AJ ran into the penthouse.

"Hey, guys, did you see me on the news last night?" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down like a kid on Christmas. "I told everyone you were superheroes!"

"WHAT?!" We all demanded, turning on him, horrified. He laughed at our expressions.

"I'm just kidding." He reassured. "God, you guys gotta lighten up."

"Look, AJ, we know what you did." Chase sighed. He walked up to the kid and held out his hand expectantly. "Give us back the space rock."

"What are you talking about?" AJ questioned, brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's missing and everyone saw how badly you wanted it." Chase told him calmly, motioning once again for AJ to return the stolen artifact.

"No, I didn't take it. I swear." He insisted.

"I can't believe you're lying to me." Chase exclaimed, upset. "You know what, AJ? If you're not going to admit it, then we're not going to be friends anymore."

"What?" AJ's eyes widened.

"You heard me. Get out." Chase pointed at the door. AJ took in a sharp, shuddering breath, almost as if he were about to cry, and bolted from the Penthouse.

"Don't feel bad, Chase. It had to be him." Bree told him. Skylar nodded.

"She's right. The only other person who knew about the Arcturion was…oh no." Her face paled, then, without explaining herself, she raced into the hyperlift. We all exchanged looks, then followed after her.

 **Skylar's POV**

I'd hoped I was wrong – after all, she wouldn't do something that reckless, right? – but when I found Calla in one of the tunnels, the Arcturion sitting on top of a rock, the glass wall of the pyramid wide open, I knew I was right.

"Calla, don't!" I shouted as she reached for the glowing ball inside the pyramid. I raised my hand, releasing a blast of energy as her fingertips neared it. The blast rebounded off the Arcturion and hit her in the chest, sending her flying into the rock wall behind her. She hit the wall hard, then fell to the ground, not moving.

"Calla!" Chase shouted in panic, pushing me out of his way as he scrambled to her side. To all of our relief, she rolled over onto her back, blinking in confusion. "Are you okay?"

"I'm going to kill Skylar." She told him, furious. He nodded.

"Yeah, you're good." He decided, getting to his feet then helping Calla up. She looked at me, incredulously.

"What is wrong with you?" She demanded, clearly upset. "I don't know what you guys do on your planet, but on Earth we don't randomly attack people!"

"I wasn't aiming at you. I just wanted to knock you away from the Arcturion." I explained. Calla winced and rubbed her shoulder.

"Well, mission accomplished." She muttered.

"I was trying to save your life." I added. She stopped, a confused look coming over her face. I could practically see the wheels in her head turning, trying to figure out what I meant.

"Yeah, sorry, when was my life in danger?" She questioned, no longer upset, but completely bewildered.

"When you tried to touch the orb." Oliver explained. "If you'd actually touched it…well, let's just say there'd be one less name on AJ's list."

"Wait seriously?" Calla looked absolutely stunned. "That thing could have killed me?"

"Yeah. What were you doing with it in the first place?" Chase questioned, looking at her.

"I, uh, I found in the kitchen cabinet, and I took it…" Calla trailed off.

"Why?" Chase questioned. Calla sighed.

"I wanted super powers." She mumbled, clearly embarrassed. We all exchanged surprised looks.

"Why would you want powers?" Chase looked as surprised and confused as the rest of us. When Calla looked down and began to fiddle with her bracelet instead of answer, Chase glanced at us, then stepped towards her and pulled her off to the side. Not out of our earshot, but enough that he got her sole focus. "Calla, what's going on?"

"Back home, I…I felt I like I belonged. I knew where I belonged on the team. I was useful. But here…" She sighed and looked back at her bracelet, "There's a reason I was mission command back in California. I was good at that. But this? Field work, rescue missions, supervillains? I am SO out of my league. And to be perfectly honest, I'm kinda feeling useless."

"You're not." I interjected.

"I'm at the bottom of AJ's list for a reason. My tech is mostly made for combat, but it's not very powerful and most of our missions are rescue missions or of similar nature, and I'm left standing off to the side looking like an idiot. The team already has one genius, and you don't need a tech-wiz. Everything that made me useful, and valuable, and special back home…it's not important here. And that makes me unimportant."

"Calla…" Chase shook his head, but she continued.

"I know touching that rock was selfish and stupid, but, I just wanted to feel special again." She admitted.

"You ARE important. Always have been, always will be." Chase told her, looking genuinely confused as to how she could not know that fact.

"I get it, Calla. But it's too risky." I told her. I walked over to the Arcturion and carefully closed the lid. "I'll take the Arcturion to Facility X."

"You know, that's pretty far. Maybe we should just keep it in the cupboard and hope for the best." Kaz suggested. I sent him a look and he shut up.

"C'mon." Chase put his arm around Calla's shoulders and we all headed out into the main part of Mission Command. "Hey, where's the hoverbike?"

"AJ." Bree realized. "That sneaky little punk."

"No, it's not his fault. It's mine." Chase told her. "I accused him of taking the Arcturion. He's just trying to get back at me by stealing the bike. MISS, do you think you can track the bike's locator?"

" _It appears that Mister AJ has taken the hoverbike for a bit of a joy ride. He is currently circling the tunnels that connect to Mission Command."_ The AI offered helpfully.

"We can cut him off if we go this way." Kaz offered, pointing to a tunnel. Bree, Kaz, Oliver, and Dani all raced into it, but Chase hesitated by the entrance. He glanced back at Calla.

"Go. Stop AJ before he hurts himself." She told him, sounding tired but sure. He nodded and ran after the others.

I looked at Calla as she leaned against the consol, rubbing her neck with a frown on her face. "Calla, you okay?"

"Not sure." She admitted, leaning even heavier on the consol. "Everything hurts. It started when you zapped me."

"That's weird. I didn't use my full strength – I was trying to avoid hurting you." I paused, thinking about it, as Calla used to hands to grip at the consol. "Hold on. When my energy blast ricocheted off the orb, it must've magnified my powers. That's why-"

Calla collapsed, unconscious before she hit the ground. "Calla!" I shouted, racing to her side. She didn't wake, her head rolling when I shook her. "Calla!"

 **Dani's POV**

"Okay, AJ should be speeding through here any second now." Chase announced. "Get in position."

"Right." We all looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Kaz frowned, then looked at Chase. "Quick question. What exactly is the standard position for catching a ten-year-old on a hoverbike?"

"Well, there's the teapot, or a capital L, and maybe a back bridge." Ollie suggested.

"Just stand on opposite sides!" Chase snapped. We all obliged, Kaz and Ollie on one side, and Bree and I on the other. I glanced at the older girl.

"Wait. You have super speed. Why don't you just chase after AJ?" I questioned.

"We want to save the hoverbike." Chase explained.

"I'll run after him if he gets past us." Suddenly, AJ zoomed past us. Kaz and Ollie lunged forward to grab him, but ended up catching each other in a bear hug when the kid passed us. "Like that."

Bree sped away, after the kid, as Kaz and Ollie stepped away from each other. "Maybe we should have gone with the teapot." Kaz admitted.

Bree sped back over to us, coughing, and AJ-less. "Where's AJ and the hoverbike?" Chase demanded. Bree shook her back.

"There was too much smoke for me to grab him. Sorry." She apologized.

"Smoke?" Chase frowned, then a horrified look came over his face. "Oh no. AJ isn't heavy enough to keep the bike under its maximum velocity. The engine is burning up."

"I'm going to go after him again." Bree sped away. Chase looked at us.

"You guys fly after him too. You have to save him before it blows." He instructed.

"What about you?" I asked. "You're not going to come with us?"

"He can't. Bus doesn't come for another half an hour." Kaz reminded me. I smirked, then the three of us flew after AJ.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Chase!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, praying that he would hear me. "Oliver! Somebody help!"

Calla was breathing heavily, each breath obviously harder than the first, and her body was wracked with weak tremors as she slipped in and out of consciousness. "This is all our fault. We've all be making jokes all the time about you not having powers. If we hadn't been teasing you so much, none of this would've happened."

"It's my fault for thinking the rock would fix everything." Calla whispered breathlessly. I glanced at the Arcturion, which I'd left discarded on the floor when Calla passed out.

"Maybe it can." I realized. "The supernatural energy from the Arcturion should heal you. If I touch it, then the healing energy will pass through me to you."

"It'll kill you." Calla protested weakly, barely raising her head as I swiped the Arcturion off the ground.

"My alien nature should protect me." I assured it.

"It's too dangerous." She argued, even as I ripped the glass door off the Arcturion. I took her hand.

"You're not exactly in a position to stop me, Calla." I pointed out. "And I'm not going to let you die."

I didn't wait for her to argue some more, and grabbed the Arcturion with my bare hand. Energy began to flow through me, transferring into Calla. I grit my teeth, trying to keep my focus, but it felt like my blood had turned to liquid fire and lighting raced through my bones. I managed to hold on for a few seconds, but black spots took over my vision, and I spiraled into darkness.

 **Dani's POV**

Bree caught up with AJ before us, but only by a few seconds. "Whoo hoo! Yeah!" AJ was shouted gleefully, on cloud nine as he tore through the tunnels. Meanwhile, his engine was releasing more and more smoke. "AJ!" Bree shouted, keeping pace with the bike. He looked at us, surprised, then turned his attention back to the front of him.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"We know you didn't take the Arcturion." Kaz promised him.

"Tell me something I don't know!" The younger kid retorted.

"Your hoverbike's about to explode!" I informed him. He turned to stare at me.

"What?" He demanded.

"It's going too fast! The engine is smoking!" Ollie shouted. Suddenly, the engine caught fire. "And now it's on fire!"

"What do we do?" AJ shouted, panicking.

"Tuck and roll!" Bree ordered. AJ looked at her, eyes comically wide, then leapt off the hoverbike. We all came to a stop in time to watch the hoverbike smash into the wall, shattering into a million pieces.

"Guys!" Chase ran over to us, or rather, he skated over to us, wearing a pair of rollerblades. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're good." AJ assured him, climbing to his feet. I looked him over, but aside from his pants being a little torn, and his hands a little scraped up, he seemed pretty okay. "Are those rollerblades?"

"I took them from Kaz's junk pile. I got here as fast as I could." Chase explained, skating past us, having trouble stopping.

"Um, thanks?" AJ looked at us sheepishly. "You guys saved my life."

"No problem, kid." Kaz patted his shoulder.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Ugh." I looked up when Calla groaned, making the first noise in an hour. I knelt down to see her opening her eyes, the blue orbs clouded with confusion.

"You okay?" I asked gently. She frowned.

"You have six heads." She told me. "Is this an alien thing, or am I just dizzy."

"You're dizzy." I assured her. Wait, could I…? I waved my hands around my head, checking to make sure it was the only one. "Yeah, it's you."

I offered her my hand and helped her to her feet. "Wow. I feel…great. Considering." Calla looked at me. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." I assured her. It must not have been convincing enough, because she gave me a skeptical look. "I lost a few of my powers."

"What? Why didn't you tell me that could happen?" She despaired. "I wouldn't have let you do this if I'd known."

"You didn't have a choice." I reminded her. "And I would've given up all my powers to save you."

Calla blushed, touched. "I don't know what to say." She admitted. "Thank you, Skylar."

She leaned in to hug me, but stopped when a glowing, electric blue disk appeared in her hand. It was small, about the size of a desert plate, with a tennis-ball sized hole in the middle. Calla stared at it, completely bewildered. "Okay, what the hell?" She questioned after a moment, turning it over in her hand. "Where did that come from?"

I smiled, amazed. No way. "Calla, you have super powers."

"What?" She looked at me incredulously.

"You made indirect contact with the Arcturion. You have superpowers." I repeated myself.

"Whoa!" She grinned before looking at the disk. "What is it though?"

"It's a proton ring." I supplied. She nodded.

"And I do what with it?" She questioned, clearly confused. I smiled.

"Throw it." I instructed. She frowned, then gripped the disk tightly, and threw it like a Frisbee. It flew around mission command, then circled back towards her, where it landed in her waiting hand.

"Oh my God." Her eyes were bright with excitement when she looked at me. "That was amazing!" She paused. "That was supposed to go in a circle, right?"

"I am so excited for you." I hugged her. "Let's go tell the others. I cannot wait to see the look on Chase's face when he finds out."

"Wait." She stopped me. A look of uncertainty crossed her face. "Could we maybe hold off for a bit? It's a lot to take in, and I wanna get a handle on this before I tell everyone."

"It'll be our little secret." I promised her. She smiled gratefully and we headed for the hyperlift.

"I can't believe I actually have super powers." She couldn't stop smiling.

"You know what this means, right?" I asked her. She looked at me. "Now Chase is at the bottom of the list."

 **Dani's POV**

"So, is everything okay with you and Chase?" I inquired. Calla had gone up to bed, Skylar, Kaz, and Bree were all watching a movie in our room, and Chase was cleaning up the mess in the tunnels from the hoverbike while Ollie and I made popcorn. AJ was sitting at the counter, snacking on some more of Jaden's cookies.

"Yeah. It hurt my feelings that he didn't believe me, but we're good now." He agreed, dipping the chocolate chip cookie in some milk. "I've also decided to get rid of the list, because everyone on the team has their own unique value."

"Chase told you to say that, didn't he?" I guessed. AJ nodded.

"Oh totally. He's worried I hurt Calla's feelings or something." He replied.

"Well, I'm glad you worked everything out." I told him.

"Though…" Ollie leaned next to me on the counter. "I was kinda hoping you'd still wanna get back at him for not trusting you."

"Why?" AJ questioned suspiciously. Ollie grinned.

"Because I have a really awesome prank I've been dying to pull on him." My brother admitted.

"Oliver, that is so immature." AJ told him, before grinning back. "Let's do it."

"Great! Watch this!" Ollie clapped his hands together. "MISS, open a comm channel to mission command!"

" _Of course."_ MISS replied.

"Chase, get up here quick!" Ollie exclaimed, his tone urgent. "There's a mission alert!"

"I'll be right there!" Chase assured us. The hyperlift lit up and Chase flew out, still skating on those rollerblades. "Ah, stairs!" He didn't have enough time to stop, instead flying off the hardwood floor when it disappeared beneath him, and landing flat on his face.

AJ, Ollie, and I all laughed. "That could not have gone better!" The younger boy exclaimed between laughs.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, so what did you guys think? Did you like that Calla has powers now? For those of you who were really excited about Bree getting an upgrade, don't worry, she will, just at a later date. Anyway, please leave a review to let me know what you thought, and here is the update schedule for the next few chapters:**

 **March 28** **th** **: Home Sweet Home**

 **April 3** **rd** **: Sheep Shifting**

 **April 17** **th** **: Game of Drones**

 **April 24** **th** **: They Grow Up So Fast**

 **Oh, and before I forget! I have a new story coming out. It's called Love and War, and it will focus on Alivia, Barry, and the rest of the surviving superheroes! I'll be posting the first chapter on Friday, March 31** **st** **, so stay tuned!**


	12. Home Sweet Home

**Kihonne: Hey! I'm back, with Home Sweet Home! This was one of my favorite episodes in the Elite Force season, so I really hope I did a good job with it for you guys. But before we move onto any of that, it's time for shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **Layla347: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Darth Becky 726: Well, I didn't feel like it worked for Calla's character at the time. Back then, she was still trying to hold onto a sense of normality, and that would have went out the window the moment she accepted his offer. But to be honest, I would have jumped at the chance too. Chase's reaction is going to be pretty interesting too, since this is such a big change for Calla. Oh, and happy early birthday to your mom! As for They Grow Up So Fast, while there will be a surprise for everyone in that chapter, I'm afraid it won't be the wedding chapter. The wedding chapter will be a separate original chapter, taking place a little bit after The Attack. Sorry, but you'll have to wait a little longer for that. But for now, please enjoy this chapter!**

 **SzymonS: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it, with Calla getting powers and all. And yes, there will be more AJ. He won't be a main character, but he's going to show up at least a few more times. And as for Love and War, it'll be a little bit of both. When the story starts, Alive and Barry will have already added a couple of more people to their team, but they will be actively looking for new members, while trying to fight and take down a few main villains. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm glad you liked it. Now, OC stories. I'm not sure whether you mean original chapters, or new stories. Either way, the answer is yes. I'll be doing a second season for Elite Force, full of original chapters, and my entire Elite Force series will be 6 stories long (Lab Assistant, Days of Our Lives, Power of Seven, Love and War, Demons, and Legacies), so there will be 2 more stories taking place AFTER the Power of Seven, and another one happening during the Power of Seven.**

 **LabGirl2001: Some people expected it, others were fairly surprised. It is hard to keep things like that a surprise though, with everyone asking so many questions. No matter how vague I am, people will still make guesses based off my responses. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it, and that you're excited for Love and War, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **EliteForce12: I'm really glad you liked it, and that I was able to catch you off guard. It's a lot more fun when you're surprised, I think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Originalguest: I'm glad you're excited. I did consider giving Calla different abilities, but I just really thought that the proton disks would work well with her character. Anyway, thank you, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Lol, I get it. As for how Kaz got the Arcturion, I'm going to go into more depth with that in the future (this isn't the last time we've seen the space rock), but I was vague about it for a reason. Anyway, I'm glad you're excited about Love and War – I certainly am – and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Yes, Liv and Barry are both back, better than ever! Love and War is going to be pretty cool with them in it. I definitely agree with you about Bree getting powers – the thing that bothered me the most was her motivation for wanting them. I mean, I get feeling insecure about her place on the team, but it seemed rather sudden if you asked me, and Bree had never shown any sign of feeling anything like that before, so it seemed like the writers were just looking for an excuse to give her more powers. And yes, more AJ. He'll be back soon for sure. As for Kaz, I'm not sure if I'm going to give him more powers. At the moment, the answer is no, but it could change. I did find it odd that he was second on the list in the show (even without the twin telepathy, Oliver still has more powers than him) but I assume that AJ put some more consideration into the types of abilities, how power each ability was, and honestly, the kid probably just thought fire was cool. And thanks for the offer about the OC, but I've got a full roster. Anyway, I hope you're feeling better, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Artmizbae: I'm really glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy this one just as much.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm glad you liked it. Now, as for Bree, she won't get superpowers in the future (sorry), but I will be giving her a bionic upgrade. You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter. And yes, Calla was always going to be part of the team, but with the types of missions and villains the team was facing, I was finding it difficult to fit her into missions, hence why I gave her the powers. That, and I had some issues how Bree's portion was handled, partially because her motivation seemed rather sudden and partially because she already had decent abilities. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **GU3ST: I'm not going to lie; I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to that.**

 **NightAngel365: I'm really glad you liked it so much! Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Scarlet: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognized.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"C'mon!" Dani complained as I managed to take her avatar out in the video game. "Dude, that was cheating!"

"Was not." I rolled my eyes. Kaz leaned forward on the couch and snatched the video game controller away from Dani, having called the right to play the winner an hour ago. Chase and Calla were sitting at the kitchen counter, making some final adjustments to the guest list for their wedding before they sent out the invitations, while Bree was helping. For some odd reason, she kept sending me strange smiles, though I had no idea why. Just then, Skylar walked down the stairs, a bright smile on her face.

"Guys, I just got the best email ever!" She gushed. I beamed.

"Yes! I knew you'd like it." I told her, reassured that my email hadn't been too much. "It took me two weeks to write that song."

To my surprise, she frowned in confusion. "What song? I didn't get an email from you."

"That's because he accidently sent it to me." Bree volunteered cheerfully. Well, that explains the looks. She pulled out her phone, then pressed a button on it to play the song.

"I'll keep you warm, Skylar Storm, and when we rise about in superhero love!" Bree lip-sang the words, mocking me. I reached forward, pausing the music on her phone.

"Can you forward that to me?" Kaz laughed, amused. Bree nodded and proceeded to do so. Skylar gave me a look to let me know that she was weirded out by the song (darn, and I was really hoping she'd like it), then continued.

"Anyway, Scarlett, my best friend from my home planet Caldera, just emailed me. She's coming to visit." She exclaimed excitedly. "We haven't spoken in years, not since I started being a superhero, but

"Wait. Aliens have email?" Calla questioned, surprised. Skylar nodded.

"Of course. I get so much spam from there." She added. "I mean, who really thinks a Calderan Prince is just handing out millions of dollars?"

"Could you forward that to me?" Kaz requested. Skylar ignored him.

"I'm so excited to see Scarlet." She told us. "It'll be great not being the only alien around here."

"You know, we've been living together so long, we don't think of you as an alien anymore." Dani told her. Skylar smiled.

"Aw, really?" Everyone nodded.

"Yeah. You're just a totally normal girl who does incredible weird things." Bree assured her.

"So, when does Scarlet get here?" Chase inquired. Suddenly, a space portal appeared next to Dani, and another girl stepped out. Caught off guard, Dani jumped back, where Kaz pulled her into his lap. "Well, at least we don't have to pick her up from the airport."

"Scarlet!" "Skylar!" The two girls exclaimed, hugging each other. Like any other female Calderans, Scarlet and Skylar were exactly duplicates of each other, all the way down to the pretty flecks on gold in their eyes. The only way to tell them apart was that Skylar was dressed in a plaid long-sleeved shirt, while Scarlet was wearing something similar to an ancient Greek toga.

"Wait, is she your best friend, or your sister?" Calla questioned.

"All the females on Caldera look exactly alike." Dani explained, adjusting her position on Kaz's lap.

"And it's glorious." I added with a smile. I got up and held my hand out to Scarlet. "I'm Oliver, by the way. I'm sure Skylar's told you all about me."

"Nope. Never heard of you." Scarlet replied, shaking my hand. Oh, Skylar didn't talk about me? I told everyone I knew about her…

"Don't worry. All you need to know about Oliver is right here in this song." Bree assured her, resuming play on her phone.

"We'll fly high into the Sky-lar!" I flushed with embarrassment as my voice came from the device.

"Give me that!" I tried to snatch it away from her, but Kaz got to it first, laughing as he ran from the room, the music still playing.

 **Skylar's POV**

"You know, I'm a superhero. Should I really have to make my own lunch?" Kaz complained. Bree grabbed the full garbage bag from the can under the sink.

"Probably not," she admitted, before shoving the bag into his hands. "You also shouldn't have to take out the trash, but you're gonna do it."

"Actually, that's Ollie's job." Dani offered, helping set the table. Kaz nodded.

"Oliver, trash bag!" He called, tossing it to the boy. Oliver grinned, catching it.

"On it!" He shouted before using his super strength to crush the garbage inside into a smaller, easier to carry box-shape. "I am the garbage man!" He declared proudly.

"…Yeah, that doesn't sound as impressive as you think." Calla told him.

"Lunch is ready!" Bree called, starting to carry some plates to the table.

"This looks great. I'm starving." Scarlet told the others as they all sat down. She opened her mouth and the food flew off the plate and the food flew into her mouth. While I just started picking at my salad, the others all stared at her, wide-eyed. It took me a minute to remember that eating like that only happened on some planets, and Earth wasn't one of them. I'd learned to eat like a Normo a while ago, knowing that if I ate normally it would give myself away at school, but Scarlet was blissfully unaware of the customs of Earth. She frowned when she noticed the others staring. "What's wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?"

Chase shook his head. "Aliens." He muttered to Calla.

 **Dani's POV**

"Hi Chase." I smiled, skipping across mission command. He was sitting near the cyberdesk, reading a book. He looked up as I approached.

"Oh, hey Dani." He greeted. I smiled at him, and he sighed. "I know that smile. What do you want?"

"Your help. It's a techy thing." I explained. He closed his book.

"I thought we all agreed to go to Calla for science or tech help to try and make her feel more useful?" He questioned. I nodded.

"I did. She said no." I replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Something about it being dumb, childish, and guaranteed to end badly."

That caught his attention. "I'm listening." He said, sitting up and leaning his elbows on the cyberdesk.

"So, as you know, my and Ollie's birthday is next week, and I know what I want to give him, but it's a little beyond my expertise. I was thinking…well, everyone in the penthouse is dating someone, except Ollie and Skylar. And let's face it – she's not interested. So," I sat down on the chair in front of him, "what if we built him a girlfriend?"

Chase stared at me for a moment, an incredulous look on his face. "You want to build him a girlfriend?"

"Yes." I confirmed. He nodded thoughtfully.

"I see why this is guaranteed to end badly." He hummed to himself.

"Oh, come on! We've all got someone but him, and Skylar isn't interested, and the only way to get him less infatuated with her is to give him someone else to focus on. Where's your romantic spirit?" I questioned. "Don't make me force you to watch that Flash musical with us again."

"I agree with Calla. This is a bad idea from the start." He told me, starting to get up. Oh well, if you can't convince them, trick them.

"Okay." I sighed audibly. "If you can't do it, I guess I can try and track down AJ or something."

As expected, he looked completely offended. "I CAN do it, Dani, I'm just choosing not to."

"Yeah, sure. Seriously, Chase, it's okay. If it's beyond your abilities, there's no harm in admitting it." For the 'smartest man in the world' Chase sure let his ego get in the way of logical thinking.

"I said I can do it." He insisted.

"Prove it." I challenged.

"Fine!" He snapped, hitting a button on the cyberdesk to open up the storage room. He stormed off towards it, then paused at the door. "I know what you're doing, by the way."

"But you're still going to do it just to prove a point, aren't you?" I guessed. He scowled, but continued on his way. I smiled, amused.

 **Xxx**

"Hey guys." Kaz greeted, walking into mission command. He walked over to me and held up two tickets. "Hey, the circus is in two next week. Wanna go?" I opened my mouth to reply, but he quickly added, "I know how you feel about circus animals and how they're treated. They don't use animals for anything, I double checked."

"Sweet." I beamed, taking my ticket from him. He looked over at Chase.

"What are you up to, you freaky little genius?" He questioned, noticing all the robot parts.

"We're building Ollie a girlfriend." I told him cheerfully. He smiled, though he was clearly confused.

"Why?" He questioned. "What about Skylar?"

"They're not together." Chase commented.

"Yeah, but I think he's got a chance." He told us.

"You do?" I questioned skeptically. He hesitated.

"A small chance, I admit, but there's a chance, and I honestly think that if he just asked Skylar out instead of just following her around everywhere, she might say yes." He reasoned. I looked at him.

"Someone got love on the brain?" I teased.

"You're the one that made me watch that stupid musical six times." He accused. "This is your fault, Dee."

"I know, and I'm proud." I replied, leaning forward on the cyberdesk to grin in his face. He shook his head, then looked at Chase.

"Seriously, dude, he's not going to go for it." He told him. "Besides, how can you even build someone a girlfriend in the first place?"

"It's not that hard." Chase reasoned. "Her artificial intelligence is all set. I just have to assemble the parts, slide on her skin suit, and boom! Oliver's dream girl!"

"Freaky." Kaz commented.

"There's nothing freaky about it." Chase insisted. "Now, could one of you pass me her nose?"

Kaz and I looked at each other. "Not it." We declared.

"I'm grabbing lunch. Dee?" Kaz offered me his arm. Smirking, I looped my arm through his.

"Hey, you want anything, Chase?" If he was helping me with Ollie's gift, the least I could do is bring him lunch.

"Yeah, thanks. Anything's good." He waved me away, too busy focusing on the robot-girl to really pay attention. I shrugged and followed Kaz upstairs.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Hey, Skylar," Bree greeted when I walked into the kitchen. "Where is everyone?"

"Chase is in the lab, Dani and Kaz went out for lunch, Oliver went to the library to help AJ with some school project, Calla's on the phone with someone named Dr. Ryan, and Scarlet's on the veranda." I listed, grabbing a couple of bottles of water from the fridge.

"So, what are you guys up to? Do you wanna go out and show Scarlet around the city?" Bree suggested, smiling.

"We already made plans, but you're welcome to join us." I offered.

"Great, what are we doing?" She inquired. I held up the tools Calla had reluctantly allowed me to borrow.

"Sanding down Scarlet's back scales." I replied. Bree looked at me, disgusted.

"Yeah, I'm gonna pass." She decided.

"No, c'mon. It'll be fun." I insisted. "I'll sand, you sweep. It's just like getting your nails done."

"No, it's really not." She told me before heading upstairs. I shrugged and brought the water bottles out to Scarlet on the veranda.

"I get the feeling Bree doesn't like me." She observed, accepting the bottle of water from me.

"No, she's just not used to being around aliens." I assured her as I sat down. Scarlet gave me a look and I sighed. "And she may not like you."

"Skylar, I have to ask: why are you even here?" Scarlet gave me a puzzled look. "You should be back home on Caldera with the rest of us."

"I like it here." I replied.

"Yeah, but you said it yourself; they don't get aliens." Scarlet reasoned. "Do you really wanna live on a planet where you're an outcast?"

"I'm not an outcast." I insisted. "As much as I miss you ad everybody else back on Caldera, I'm part of a team here. They need me."

"Okay. I get it." Scarlet nodded in understanding before grimacing and rubbing her stomach. "I'm gonna go lay down. My stomach hurts. I think I ate too slow or something."

"Okay." I replied, leaning back on the chair and grabbing one of Bree's magazines from the side table. Scarlet went inside as I began to look over the pictures.

 **Dani's POV**

"I got you a veggie sandwich." I announced as Kaz and I stepped out of the hyperlift. Chase was bent over something at the other end of the lab.

"You still working on your little robo-chick?" Kaz questioned. Chase stepped to the side and revealed a tall, pretty, blonde haired girl. "Whoa."

"Is that her?" I questioned, amazed. Chase nodded.

"Yep. Her name is Cyborg 45172, but I think Christina sounds catchier." He replied. "Think her and Oliver will hit it off?"

"No." "Absolutely." Kaz and I replied at the same time. Chase and I looked at him.

"Look, she's cute and all, but does she actually work?" Kaz questioned.

"Of course. I was designed by the smartest man in the world, and the most handsome." Christina replied. Kaz and I stared at her for a moment.

"But you can't program a girl to like someone." Kaz insisted incredulously. "I mean, science and love don't really mix."

"Of course I can." Chase retorted.

"Prove it." Kaz challenged. "Get her to like me."

"Fine." Chase agreed, a confident smirk on his face. I sighed.

"Maybe Calla was right…this is not going to end well." I muttered to myself.

 **Skylar's POV**

"So I'm coming to you, Scarlet, her best friend to make Skylar realize that I'm not going to wait around forever." I smirked, watching Oliver try and convince Scarlet to get me to go out with him. "I'm in high demand by girls all over this planet. So, if she doesn't scoop up old Ollie Boy right now-" I cleared my throat, getting his attention, and he panicked. "Uh, no Scarlet! I will not date you." He looked at me. "Can you believe her, trying to steal your man?"

"Oliver." I said, amused.

"Yes, my love?" He looked at me hopefully. I jerked my head at the stairs.

"Get out." I told him. He sighed.

"Alright." He agreed reluctantly, heading up stairs. Scarlet sighed and got off the couch.

"I should probably be going to." She decided.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, confused. "You just got here."

"I know, and I wish I could stay, but I have important business back on Caldera." She explained apologetically. "Skylar, just come with me. It'll be like old times. You know you miss it."

"I do, but I told you, I can't." I reminded her. She sighed.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" She implored.

"No. I'm sorry, but my decision is final." I shook my head. She nodded, disappointed.

"Then I'm sorry too." She apologized. I smiled, confused.

"For what?" I questioned. She gave me a solemn look.

"For this." She thrust her arm forward, and a blast of energy exploded from it. It hit me in the chest, hard, and that was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

 **Xxx**

When I awoke, I was lying on a hard, red floor, heat coming off it in waves. Confused, I got to my feet and looked around. It looked like I was in a cave made of rock, maybe lava rock if I had to guess. There was a TV screen mounted on one side of the cave, and at the other end, the end with the entrance, there were thick, metal bars in a crisscross formation, preventing my escape.

" _Welcome home, Skylar."_ Scarlet's face appeared on the screen.

"I'm on Caldera?" I should have guessed just by looking at the rocks. "Scarlet, why did you bring me here?"

" _There's been a war between the old leadership, who believe we should use our powers to help others throughout the universe, and the opposition, who believe we should keep all Calderans here and only help ourselves."_ She explained. No wonder she was so desperate to get me here.

"So you brought me here to help you fight the opposition." I realized. To my surprise, she shook her head.

" _No. I AM the opposition."_ She corrected. I stared at her, confused.

"What?" I demanded.

" _We control this planet now."_ Scarlet clarified with a smile.

"And you think that you can just force me into joining your side?" I demanded incredulously.

" _You are a hero to our people, Skylar. If you're off wasting your powers on Earth, it makes the opposition look bad."_ She told me. _"Your rightful place is here."_

"No, it's not." I retorted before spinning around to blast open the cage. To my shock, when I raised my hands, I found I could not access my powers. Nothing would happen, no matter how hard I tried.

" _I knew you'd resist, so I put you in a cell that disables your powers. But you'll come around; we can be very convincing."_ Scarlet decided.

"I will never join the opposition!" I spat, furious. How dare she kidnap me and try to force me to betray my own beliefs! Scarlet smiled coldly.

" _Like I said, we can be very convincing."_ She insisted before the screen turned dark, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

 **Oliver's POV**

After spending about half an hour searching the penthouse, I finally found Calla and Bree on the veranda, discussing what day would work out the best for dress shopping, presumably for the wedding. "Guys, I need your help." I told them, running out to meet them. Both girls grinned.

"You want us to lay down a little rap for your next song?" Bree inquired.

"We've got skills." Calla added brightly.

"No. Skylar left." When they didn't react, I added, "for good."

"What?" They exchanged looks. "Oliver, what are you talking about?"

"There's a video message." I explained. "Come on."

 **Xxx**

Once we reached mission command, I had MISS replay the message. Skylar's face appeared on the screen, a serious look on her face. _"Hey guys, I know this is going to be a surprise, but I've decided to return home with Scarlet and live on Caldera."_ She told us. _"I'm going to miss all of you, but you have to understand that this what's best for me. I wanted to say goodbye in person, but it was just too hard. I'm sorry."_

Bree and Calla wore expressions of surprise, equal to the one I'd had on my face when I saw the message the first time. "How could she leave like that?" Bree questioned.

"I know." I agreed, heartbroken. How could she just abandon us like that? "I always imagined that if she went home, she'd wave to me from the deck of a cruise ship as she slowly pulled out of port."

"Why would she be on a cruise ship if she's going to another planet?" Calla questioned.

"Because she's Skylar and she's perfect and she likes boats." I snapped. She gave me a surprised look, but didn't comment.

"Something's off." Bree commented, concerned. "This doesn't seem like something she would do."

"Bree's right. She wouldn't just abandon the team like that." Calla frowned. She looked at us. "We were talking earlier about going shopping next week, and she didn't mention anything."

"Let's check the video again." I suggested. "MISS, would you please?"

" _Of course."_ MISS replied. She began to play the video, but I had her stop after barely a moment.

"Look at the time stamp." I told them, pointing at the bold 13:35 PM. "That's 1:35, right?"

"I saw her and Scarlet at two, and neither of them said anything about leaving." Bree commented.

"And all her stuff is still up in her room." I added. Both girls looked at me sharply. "I was trying to find her, okay?"

"You know, call me crazy, but isn't it weird coincidence that one of Skylar's friends from Caldera shows up, and then, all of a sudden, she just decides to leave without a warning?" Calla said thoughtfully, her mind racing.

"You think Scarlet took her against her will?" I questioned. Calla nodded.

"If what Dani says is true, this wouldn't be the first time a friend of Skylar's from Caldera tried to kidnap her." She commented. I nodded, remembering when we first realized that Experion was evil. "MISS, how did Skylar seem when she left?"

" _I'm afraid my system was shut down before she and Miss Scarlet left. It was reactivated only half an hour ago."_ The AI replied. Calla cursed under her breath.

"Okay, I don't care if it takes me six hours, I'm giving you an upgrade tonight." She declared. She looked at us. "Scarlet had to have been the one to shut down her system, though."

"There's only one way to find out." I decided. Without explaining, I walked into the storage room, grabbed a brown box off the shelf we'd reserved for Mighty Med tech, and brought it back out to the girls. "We can use my wormhole transporter. If I set it to Caldera, we can be there in seconds."

"I'll call the guys." Bree offered, pulling out her phone. She dialed a number, then waited. A second later, the sound of my song for Skylar filled the air, coming from consol. Three cell phones lay discarded there.

"Aw, Kaz made my song his ringtone." I smiled, touched. "Now, I know he's mocking me, but I'm flattered."

"They all left their phones here." Calla sighed.

" _Dee? Where are you guys? It's important."_ I contacted my sister telepathically.

" _Uh…how important? Chase needed some parts for a project and he couldn't get them into town, so we drove to Rockford."_ She replied apologetically. _"I'm sorry, Ollie, but if this is time sensitive, don't wait for us."_

" _Just get back as soon as you can. It could be nothing, but we might need your help."_ I told her before turning to the others. I said aloud, "They left town for a shopping trip. Even with good traffic, they're an hour away. They said not to wait."

"Alright, let's go." Bree nodded. I pulled a few circular patches out of the box, along with the wormhole transporter, and handed them each one.

"They're atmospheric regulator patch." I explained. "They even out body temperatures in extreme climates. But heads up, side effects may include drowsiness, nausea, and sudden death."

They exchanged looks, but put the regulator patches on their shoulders. "Sounds fun." Calla commented sarcastically. I grinned and held up my arms.

"Shall we do this?" I offered. They both smiled and linked their arms with mine. I hit the button on the wormhole transporter, and a blue, swirling wormhole formed around us. Everything went white for a moment, and then we were staring out at a vast landscape of red rocks and sand, a large volcano in the background.

"Whoa." Calla stepped away from me, a wide smile on her face. "We're on an alien planet."

"We landed in the middle of nowhere." Bree complained. "I thought it would be more…I don't know, futuristic."

"This whole planet looks like this." I commented. "This is downtown."

"We're on an alien planet." Calla was still absolutely amazed. She started as a Calderan girl, identical to Skylar, walked past her. More girls walked past us, chatting animatedly.

"Okay, that is so strange." Bree commented, watching them.

"Or is it so right?" I sighed, watching the beautiful goddesses walk by.

"Oliver, focus." Bree warned. She glanced back at Calla, who was busy studying a rock formation. "C'mon nerd girl, you too."

"But…this is incredible." Calla grinned, eyes alit with excitement. Bree sighed.

"You can look at the pretty rocks later." She told her best friend teasingly. Calla sighed before nodding in agreement. "Alright. We do not talk to anyone until we know what's going on, alright?"

"Don't worry. Calderans are very friendly." I reassured her.

"Really? Because if I'm not mistaken, those are sacrificial lava pits." Calla pointed out, gesturing at several lava pools that were fenced off from the public.

"Let's just find Skylar, and get out of here." Bree decided. I nodded.

"Trust me; I know exactly how to find her." I told them before approaching a Calderan girl. "Skylar?" I asked hopefully.

"No." She replied, walking away. I nodded, then tried again, going up to a pair of girls near a rock formation.

"Skylar?" I inquired. They walked away, so I tried again.

 **Xxx**

After about twenty minutes, the girls lost their patience with me. "Okay, this isn't working!" Bree exclaimed in frustration. "That was the 86th Skylar who isn't Skylar."

"Although, I did meet a Betty who seemed moderately interested." I grinned. They gave me annoyed looks. "Well, what do you suggest then?"

"You!" We spun around to see a Calderan girl, wearing a grey toga. I figured maybe it was a uniform of some sort, seeing as many of the Calderans we'd seen had been wearing them.

"Skylar?" I asked hopefully. She glared at me and shook her head slowly. "Betty?"

"Scarlet." Calla realized. I gulped nervously.

"How did you get here?" Scarlet demanded.

"That is none of your business." "With this wormhole transporter." Bree and I replied at the same time. Scarlet raised her hand and blasted a ball of energy at the wormhole transporter in my hand. It crumpled into pieces when the attack hit it.

"With that wormhole transporter." I corrected.

"Where's Skylar?" Calla demanded.

"Locked up in a subterranean cell. But don't worry; you'll be joining her soon enough." She sneered.

"We're not going anywhere with you." Bree snapped.

"Yes, you are." Scarlet replied. She spread her hands apart and formed a ball of red energy, similar to the balls of electricity my sister usually makes, but twice as large. But Bree reacted before she could attack us. For a moment, her entire body glowed green, then a wave of energy burst from the speedster and hit Scarlet right in the chest. The force of the blast sent her flying through the sky and into a cloud of smoke coming from the volcano.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, shocked. Bree stared at her hands, then turned to Calla with a grin.

"I think I just discovered another hidden ability!" She beamed.

"Thermonuclear body blasts? Oh, that is so going to come in handy." Calla complimented. "But I thought you unlocked all of your hidden abilities?"

"Apparently, we missed one." Bree grinned. She looked at me. "Now let's go find Skylar."

"Good idea." I agreed. I looked around and ran over to a Calderan girl who looked familiar. "Hey, which way to the subterranean cells?" She pointed to the left. "Thanks, Betty. You're one in a million."

"My name is Jennifer." She retorted, offended, before running off. I looked at Bree and Calla, who shrugged at me, and we ran in the direction Jennifer had pointed.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Skylar!" I looked up, surprised when I thought I heard Oliver's voice. I mean, there was no possible way for him to be here, right? But to my surprise, Oliver stopped in front of the bars of my cell, a relieved smile on his face. He looked over his shoulder. "Guys! She's in here!"

Calla and Bree ran out from the rocky tunnels behind him. Oliver went to grab at the bars, but stopped when they hummed and electricity ran across them. "I am so glad to see you guys." I smiled, getting to my feet.

"How do we know you're really you?" Bree questioned. Oliver grinned and turned to me.

"Kiss me." He suggested. I shook my head.

"No thank you?" I replied. He nodded and turned back to Bree and Calla.

"It's really her." He assured them.

"How did you guys know I was here?" I questioned, confused.

"Scarlet left a goodbye message, pretending to be you." Calla explained. I scoffed.

"And she thought that would work? She looks nothing like me." I was WAY prettier. Bree, Calla, and Oliver shared amused looks.

"Let's just get you out of here, okay?" Oliver smiled at me. He looked at the cage as if he was trying to formulate a plan, but before he could propose anything, the TV screen behind me sparked to life.

"Get away from her." Scarlet said, sounding peeved.

"We're not leaving without her." Oliver retorted. I smiled at him gratefully.

"You humans," Scarlet rolled her eyes, disgusted. "You always think you can do whatever you want. But you're on Caldera now."

"If you're so tough, why don't you come out here and fight us face to face?" Bree challenged. Scarlet smirked.

"Because I don't have to." She replied. The screen went dark, and the rest of us exchanged confused looks.

"Well that's not ominous or scary at all." Calla commented sarcastically, just as a rumbling sound started to come from the earth. It slowly got louder and louder, making us uneasy.

"What's that noise?" Bree demanded, looking at the ground as if she expected it to break open and swallow the three of them up.

"I have no idea." Calla replied. Suddenly, at the end of the of the tunnel, the rocky ground rose up and fell, moving like a wave towards them. It grew as it charged towards them, and once it finally hit, too quickly to allow them time to escape, it hit them with enough power to throw them into the nearest wall. They all hit the ground, unmoving.

"No!" I screamed, lunging forward, but I couldn't even touch the bars. "Oliver! Bree, Calla!"

There was no reply.

 **Xxx**

Twenty minutes later, they started showing signs of returning to consciousness. First a groan from Bree, then Oliver rolling onto his hands and knees, blinking away the stars that were surely dancing around his head.

"Twice in one week." Calla muttered, her hands clutching the back of her head. She gave me a look. "What is with you Calderans and throwing me into walls?"

"It's the national sport here." I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"What happened?" Bree asked, getting to her feet.

"Scarlet used her powers to trigger some kind of subterranean shock wave. You're lucky be alive." I told them.

"Scarlet's going to be back any minute. We have to get out of here." Oliver decided. He looked at me. "Use your powers to form a space portal and take us back to Earth."

"I can't. The force running through those bars are blocking our powers." I commented.

"What about your new ability? Your thermonuclear blast?" Calla questioned, turning to Bree.

"I don't know. In a space this tiny, I might end up blasting all of us." She worried. "Plus, if those bars block powers, it could make my blast bounce off it and back at us, or something."

"Fair point." Calla agreed. "And Scarlet destroyed the wormhole transporter, so we're stuck on Caldera. Never thought I'd complain about being stuck on another planet, but this sucks."

" _It's your own fault for coming here."_ Scarlet's face appeared on the screen once again.

"There are a million other Calderans. Why do you need Skylar?" Bree demanded, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you don't want her. Take Bree." Oliver offered. Bree looked at him, offended. "Look, someone's gotta take the hit, and to be honest, we can hide your disappearance from Jaden a hell of a lot longer than we can Calla's from Chase."

"He has a point." Calla commented softly. Bree turned on her. "Not that we are leaving anyone behind."

"Scarlet's a part of the opposition, and they want me to help them take over the planet." I explained to my friends.

" _And once we do, Caldera will finally be powerful enough to rule the universe."_ Scarlet added. Bree smiled.

"You know what? I totally hear you, and I really respect your drive." The speedster complimented her, before pointing at herself, Calla, and Oliver. "But where do we fit in on your little to-do list?"

" _Oh, I'm not in control of your fates."_ Scarlet smiled coldly. _"Skylar is."_

Oliver sent me a confused look, but I was as in the dark as they were. "What do you mean?" I asked.

" _It's simple. Join the opposition, and I'll release them."_ My ex-friend promised.

"And if I don't?" I challenged.

" _Then you'll watch as I destroy them, slowly and painfully."_ I watched my friends flinch at the thought, though they all tried to hide it. _"The choice is yours, Skylar. Let's see how much you really care about your human friends."_

The screen went dark once more. "Okay, that is it." Calla muttered before looking around for something.

"I can't believe we're about to be killed by your alien bestie." Oliver muttered. He gave me a sad look. "You know, sometimes I wish you were just a simple girl from the mid-West."

"Calla, what are you doing?" Bree questioned suddenly. I looked up to see Calla using a rock to bang on the metal bar that held the TV screen in place.

"She's pissing me off, so I'm taking away her TV." The genius insisted.

"Oh, let me help." Bree grabbed a rock off the ground. She clutched it tight, then threw it as hard as she could at the screen. It hit it directly in the middle, cracking it. "Done."

"Perfect." Calla smiled.

"Decision time, Skylar." We all spun around to see Scarlet on the other side of the bars. Apparently, Bree and Calla's idea to get rid of the TV didn't phase her. "Decision time, Skylar. What's it going to be?"

"Give it up. She's never going to join you." Calla retorted. I sighed.

"Actually, I am." This wasn't even a choice. I wasn't going to let them die. They were friends, my family. In a few short months, Calla and Bree had become some of the closest friends I'd ever, and if I was being honest with myself, Oliver been close to my heart for a very long time. If I joined the opposition now, I could figure out a way how to escape later, but if she killed them…I couldn't bring them back from the dead. That was one power I didn't have.

"What?" Oliver looked at me, shocked.

"It's a small price to pay for saving your lives." I reasoned.

"But-" He tried to protest, but I shook my head.

"I made up my mind, Oliver. This is what I have to do." I walked past him and up to the bars. "I'm ready to join you."

"Good choice." Scarlet nodded appreciatively. "But before I let you out, I need to know you're serious."

"I gave you my word. Isn't that enough?" I questioned, annoyed.

"No." She shook her head. "In order to prove your allegiance to the opposition, I'll need to permanently remove your power to create space portals."

In other words, I had to give up my only way back to Earth forever. Even if I could escape the opposition, there'd be no going back to my friends.

"You can't do that." I shook my head. But this was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to take away the one thing she knew I loved more than anything in the world – my new home.

"Yeah, take her time-traveling power instead." Oliver suggested. I looked at him, confused.

"I don't have a time-travelling power." I informed him.

"She didn't know that." He muttered. Oh, right.

"Are you with us or not?" Scarlet questioned. I sighed.

"Do whatever you have to do." I agreed sullenly.

"We'll never see you again." Calla warned me. I nodded.

"I know." It took all my willpower to keep my voice from breaking. This would be the end of all of it. There'd be no more movie nights will Oliver, no more video game lessons from Kaz, and no morning jogs with Dani. No more manicures with Bree, or listening to Chase lecture about science, or Calla trying to explain human things to me. I was giving up all of it…if only I'd ignored Scarlet's email in the first place. I took a deep breath, then turned to Scarlet. "Go ahead."

She snapped her fingers and the bars lost their power. Slowly, hesitantly, I stretched my arm through the bars. She pulled out a device from her pocket, held it above my hand, and pressed a button. A red light from it shined down on my palm, and I felt an uncomfortable, almost painful sensation run through my veins as my power to create portals was drained from me. When it was over, I drew my hand back, holding it in my other. Scarlet smiled at me.

"Welcome to the opposition."

 **Oliver's POV**

"What is taking so long?" Bree questioned, impatiently pacing the cell. "Skylar agreed to join the opposition, so why hasn't Scarlet released us yet?"

"Maybe she's making us dinner." I offered, trying to be helpful. "It would be rude to send us home without a meal."

"I wonder…what do Calderans eat?" Calla thought aloud. "I never did ask Skylar. But with this kind of atmosphere, most human plants would be impossible to grow, and I doubt they've got the same kinds of animals-"

"Dude." Bree looked at her. Calla shrugged.

"What?" She questioned. "I may be a cool nerd, but I'm still a nerd, and I'm on an alien planet. It would be strange if I didn't ask these questions."

"I don't think Scarlet's ever going to let us out of here." Bree continued, shaking her head. "We have to contact Kaz, Dai, and Chase somehow."

"I still can't reach Dee telepathically." I told them. "But I do have my phone."

"We're on another planet. We're not going to get a signal." Calla pointed out.

"Are you sure? My carrier says their coverage is out of this world, so I'm taking them at their word." I replied. But as Calla said, I couldn't get a single bar. However, something else caught my eye. "Hey, look. It's asking if I want to join the Calderan Wi-Fi network."

"Skylar did say her planet had email." Bree grinned. I quickly access the Wi-Fi and turned on my email, but received a blocked message, stating that my email was invalid. "Crap. We're going to need Skylar's email and her password."

"That's easy." I replied, typing in her email, and then her password. "Her password is ConValCalderan."

"How'd you know that?" Calla questioned.

"Long story." I replied dismissively as I typed out an email to my sister. She had hooked her email up to the superhero network and thus was checking her email more often than the rest of us. I figured if anyone would get it, it would be her. I just prayed she would.

 **Dani's POV**

Okay, so maybe Calla and Chase were right. This good idea had gone to a bad and bizarre one in the blink of an eye. I mean, it started out with Chase getting one robot to like Kaz, but then being unable to fix the program so that she liked anyone aside from Kaz. And the rest of the attempts to recreate the process and fix the problem had just led to my boyfriend being pampered by eight, hot, female robots. Which I honestly wouldn't have had a problem with (I mean, they ARE robots, and the only reason Kaz was still playing this out was to annoy the hell out of Chase), except that they wouldn't let me anywhere near him.

"Tell me again just how great I am." Kaz sighed happily, leaning back on the couch.

"You're the best." All eight Christinas cooed lovingly. Chase rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"What have I done?" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, I heard my phone beep. I looked over at where it lay on the table, the screen lit up to show that I'd received an email. Maybe it was from Alivia. She'd promised to send me some information sometime this week.

"Hey, Kaz, can you pass me my phone?" I requested, not wanting to get up.

"NO!" I flinched when all the Christinas turned their glares on me.

"…I'll get it myself." I said softly, reaching over for my phone. Kaz looked over at the girls, then at Chase.

"Okay, you know, I love it when girls are into me and stuff, but do they have to be so aggressive?" He questioned the older boy.

"I programmed them to be overly territorial and loyal." Chase explained.

"Why?" Kaz questioned as I opened up my email.

"Well, they're supposed to be for Oliver, and I wasn't sure if he'd ever have another chance with a girl, so I figured I should make them so they'd never want to leave him." Chase explained. I frowned, looking at my email inbox.

"I just got an email from Skylar." I commented, frowning. I opened it up and read it. "Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Kaz questioned, confused.

"Scarlet's evil, Skylar's being blackmailed, and Calla, Bree, and Ollie are being held captive in Caldera." I summarized.

"Who are Scarlet, Skylar, Calla, and Bree?" The Christinas grilled Kaz. He gulped.

"Librarian friends. Very frumpy." He lied. Chase frowned.

"Caldera? Skylar's home planet?" He confirmed. Kaz and I both nodded. "How'd they even get there?"

"They must have used Ollie's wormhole transporter." I decided.

"I've got mine in mission command." Kaz offered. "I'll go get it."

"I'm going with him!" The blonde haired Christina declared. The rest of them soon chimed in, deciding that they too would help him retrieve the wormhole transporter. He gave me an apologetic look as he led them to the hyperlift, but I laughed it off, amused.

"As if you're not enjoying this." I commented.

 **Oliver's POV**

Eventually, Scarlet came to meet us, wearing her grey toga uniform. She had a sad expression on her face for some reason, but I was more concerned with the fact that Skylar was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Skylar?" I demanded, concerned that something had gone wrong while they were gone. Well, worse than what had already happened.

"It's me." She told us, trying to trick us. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't even try it, Scarlet." I retorted. "Skylar's beautiful. You look like a tired old she-beast."

And then I saw Scarlet, the real Scarlet, step out from behind the Calderan in front of me. "Oliver?" Bree pointed to her, as if I didn't see her.

"So that's Scarlet?" Oops. Skylar nodded, unamused. "Which mean you're…"

"She-beast." She confirmed. I gulped.

"Um, what I said…I didn't mean…" I accidently leaned on the metal bars and received a painful zap. I jumped back, rubbing my arm. "Okay, I deserved that one."

"Let them go, Scarlet." Skylar turned back to her ex-best friend. "I joined your side. You have what you want. Now it's time to honor your end of the agreement."

"Yeah, and if you don't let us out right now-" Bree began. Suddenly, we were standing outside the cell, having been transported by Scarlet. "Thank you."

"Skylar, you don't have to do this." Calla told her. "We could have found another way." She insisted.

"It's okay." Skylar promised her, pulling her into a hug. "Say goodbye to Kaz, Dani, and Chase, would you? Tell them I'm sorry that I let down the team."

"You didn't. Not at all. But I'll tell them what you said." The genius promised. Skylar hugged Bree next.

"Try and keep them all from getting into too much trouble, okay?" She made the speedster promise.

"Someone's got to." Bree agreed. Skylar turned to hug me goodbye next, but I didn't let her.

"I can't just leave you here." I shook my head. She bit her lip.

"Oliver…" She tried, but I refused to listen.

"You mean everything to me, and you know that." She'd known my feeling for her for a long time. "And I'm not just going to abandon you."

"There's no other way. I'm sorry." She told me apologetically, voice shaking slightly. She took a breath before continuing. "For what it's worth, Oliver…I like you too."

"Really?" She knew what those words meant to me. She didn't just mean like a friend, right? She couldn't.

"Let's go." Scarlet tapped her foot impatiently. I glowered at her.

"Stick a sock in it, space hag. I've waited a lifetime for this." I snapped. Skylar smiled at me, a bittersweet curve of her lips.

"Goodbye, Oliver." She told me, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my cheek. "I'll never forget you. Any of you."

How could I leave her now?

"Good." Scarlet cleared her throat, clearly thinking out farewell had finished. "Now that that's over with, we can finally get you useless humans off our planet."

She raised her hand and a red space portal formed behind us. "Oliver, come on." Calla touched my shoulder and jerked her head towards the space portal. I looked at her for a moment, then made a split-second decision.

"No! She's coming with us!" I lunged forward and tried to grab Skylar's hand, intending on dragging her through the portal with us before Scarlet could stop us, but Scarlet reacted faster than I'd thought she would. She closed the portal, then hit me a blast of energy in the chest. I dropped to the ground, feeling my ribs crack under the force.

"Oliver!" Skylar shouted, spinning around and blasting Scarlet. The villainous alien deflected it, then trapped the four of us in a force field as Bree and Calla helped me back up to my feet. I took a shuddering breath, not liking how hard it was to do so.

"How could you attack me, Skylar?" Scarlet looked genuinely hurt and surprised, then her expression turned to one of disgust. "You're a disgrace. You just proved that you'll always choose humans over your own, and for that, you'll all be destroyed in the Calderan lava pits."

 **Xxx**

Always the drama queen, Scarlet had decided to force us into a metal, power-nullifying cage so that she could slowly lower us into the lava pits, rather than just push us in.

"You picked a great time to visit." She complimented. "The lava pits are in full bubble this time of year. Take a moment to enjoy the view before I dump you in for a closer look."

"Okay, look. If we're about to die, I have to get this off my chest." Bree fixed Scarlet with a stare. "The way you eat, it's not normal."

"Yes, Bree, that's a great idea." Calla commented, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Taunt the unstable girl who is dangling us over a lava pit."

"Where are Kaz, Dani, and Chase? They should have gotten our email by now!" Bree exclaimed, frustrated.

"Maybe I could use my super strength to bend the bars." I offered, trying to be helpful.

"Don't bother. This cage is just like the cell – it blocks our powers." Skylar pointed out. "Bree, what about your bionics?"

"Um, the only thing I have that could do anything useful is my thermonuclear body blast, and there's no way I could use it safely in here. I'd destroy the whole cage, with us in it." She shook her head.

"Calla, what weapons do you have on you?" I questioned. She sighed, an angry look in her eyes.

"None. I didn't have time to grab anything before we left." She sighed. "God, I should have known better too. I haven't left home without a weapon in almost three years."

"Great. We're screwed." I muttered. All I'd wanted to do was save Skylar, and now all four of us were going to die.

 **Dani's POV**

"Did you have to bring them?" I questioned as we all arrived on Caldera. And by all, I meant me, Chase, Kaz, and the eight robot girls that refused to stay behind.

"It's not my fault; they follow me everywhere." Kaz protested. I gave him a look. "Hey, none of this would have happened if you'd just gotten Oliver a gift card like I suggested!"

"Dani, just find out where the others are." Chase ordered. I tried to contact Ollie, but to my confusion, it was like there was an invisible wall cutting us off from each other.

"I'm not getting anything." I told Chase apologetically. He nodded.

"It's alright. I can locate Bree through her bionic GPS." He assured me, raising a couple of fingers to his temple. I looked back at Kaz, who was trying to find a way to stand comfortable with 8 girls stuck to him like glue.

"This isn't going to work." I pointed out. Kaz nodded in agreement.

"Hey, ladies, do you know what's always great on the hottest, driest planet in the universe? A nice tall glass of water." Kaz told them. They all nodded, but didn't move. "I'm asking for water."

"Water!" They all exclaimed at once, and tore off in different directions to find him that water.

"You could have made t hem a little smarter, you know." I mentioned to Chase. He shrugged, then nodded approvingly at Kaz.

"Good call." He complimented. "Caldera only consists of 0.002% water. They've got a better chance of solving the quantum physics general relativity conundrum."

He chuckled as if it was supposed to be funny, but Kaz and I just looked at him blankly. "In the right company, that's a joke."

"Well, let's go find Calla and see if that's true." I suggested. He nodded and jerked his head at a rocky tunnel.

"Bree's GPS is coming from this direction." He informed us, beginning to lead us towards our friends.

 **Skylar's POV**

"I've kept you in here long enough." Scarlet decided, walking back into the tunnel. "It's time."

"To catch the 5 o'clock wormhole back to Earth?" Oliver questioned hopefully. When she gave him a cold look, I tried once more to change her mind.

"Scarlet, please don't do this." I begged her. "We've been friends all our lives. Doesn't that count for something?"

"You tell me." She retorted. "Shouldn't our friendship make you more loyal to me than these outsiders? By attacking me, you not only betrayed one of your own, but you betrayed all Calderans, and that can never be forgiven."

"Are you sure?" Oliver tried. "A nice fruit basket goes a long way."

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Skylar."

"Wait!" Suddenly, Kaz ran out from the tunnel behind her. He paused, looking at the cage. "Ooh, a death cage over a lava pit. Nice. I wanna save them, but I sorta wanna see how this plays out."

"Kaz!" Calla snapped.

"Right, sorry." Kaz apologized as Dani and Chase followed him out of the tunnel.

"You two take Scarlet." Chase ordered Dani and Kaz. "I'll free them."

Kaz nodded, then punched the air, shooting a fireball towards Scarlet. She dodged that with ease, and while she had a little trouble, she managed to avoid the ball of electricity that Dani shot at her next.

"Don't worry guys. I'll get you out of there." Chase promised us, approaching the cage. He raised on hand to his temple, and the other he outstretched towards the cage. After a moment, the lock on the cage door began to turn until it clicked.

"Yes." Bree smiled, pushing open the door and carefully stepping onto the rock ground a foot away. Meanwhile, Scarlet was using a rock to protect herself from Kaz and Dani's team up attacks, one sending one blast of their power the moment the other's hit their target, making it nearly impossible for her to move.

The moment we were all safely out of the cage, Dani and Kaz fell back, lining up with us. Scarlet approached us, but Calla stepped forward, a confident smirk on her face. "She's mine." She declared before any of us could stop her. She raised one hand and a proton disk formed in her hand, much to everyone else's shock. Calla didn't wait for anyone to say anything, instead spinning around to give herself more momentum, then releasing the disk at the last moment. It hit Scarlet in the chest, throwing her into the air. My ex-best friend hit a rock wall, hard enough to crack it, and fell to the ground, winded.

The others all stared at either Calla or Scarlet for a long moment before Chase finally spoke up. "What the hell was that?"

"My proton disks." Calla replied smugly. She cast him a playful look. "Oh, did I not tell you I have superpowers now?"

"No." He retorted, clearly stunned. He looked at Kaz. "Did you know about this?"

"I want to say yes just to piss you off, but I had no idea." The pyrokinetic replied.

"Why don't we talk about this after we get out of here?" I suggested. Dani nodded and turned to her boyfriend.

"Where's your wormhole transporter?" She questioned.

"Oh, I put it down other there." He gestured vaguely near a rock. "I don't like to fight with stuff in my pockets."

"Go get it!" Oliver insisted. Kaz rolled his eyes, but obediently walked over to the rock and picked his wormhole transporter off the ground.

"See. I got it." He assured us. Suddenly, Scarlet pushed herself off the ground, having recovered from Calla's attack far quicker than we expected, and tackled Kaz from the side. They both hit the ground, where Scarlet wrestled the device from his hands.

"No, I got it." She announced, holding it out of our reach.

"Hey!" A voice shouted, and eight teenage girls randomly walked out of the shadows. "Nobody messes with our Kaz!"

We all watched in bewilderment as the girls grabbed at Scarlet, using her surprise to retrain her. "Wait, what?"

Dani turned to Oliver with a grin. "Happy birthday." She told him, only managing to confuse him more.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at the others for an explanation.

"Long story short: they're robots and they love me." Kaz explained.

"Skylar!" Scarlet screamed as the girls lifted her off her feet and began carrying her towards the lava pits. "Please! Help me!"

"Oh, so now you want my help? Five minutes ago, you were going to kill me!" I reminded her.

"The opposition forced me to. I had no choice." She begged. "Please help me."

I sighed. I had to be the better person here, right? That's what heroes did. "Put her down." I told the robots. They didn't comply.

"Oh, right. It's got to be me." Kaz remembered. "Put her down, girls."

The girls dropped Scarlet like a sack of potatoes before walking back over to Kaz. "Thank you." Scarlet told us sincerely, getting up.

"You're welcome. Now hand over the transponder." I held my hand out for her to give it to me, but she shook her head, a cruel smirk on her face.

"No." She refused, much to my disappointment. I mean, I figured it could go both ways, but I'd really hoped she'd turn to our side. "You're pathetic. I knew you didn't have the guts to hurt me. You've become just as weak as the humans you surround yourself with."

"Scarlet, give us the transporter." Chase told her, glaring at the girl.

"No. You're on my planet now." Scarlet began walking backwards, trying to make more space between us and her. "And I control what happ-AHH!"

She stumbled as she hit the end of the rock floor and fell backwards into the pit, dropping the wormhole transporter as she fell. We all rushed forwards in time to see her fall into the lava, never to resurface.

"Ouch." Bree winced sympathetically.

"I offered her a fruit basket. She could be eating peaches right now." Oliver commented. I smiled at him gratefully, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Let's go." I decided, picking the wormhole transporter off the ground.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Oh yeah! Biggest group wormhole ever!" Kaz celebrated when we reached the penthouse.

"It's good to be back." Bree sighed, collapsing onto the couch.

"Just in time too. I promised I'd video chat with my mom." Kaz remembered, heading for the hyperlift. The robot girls followed him.

"Who's Mom?" They demanded. He groaned, even as they shot down to mission command. I looked at my sister.

"That's my birthday gift?" I guessed, based off her comment from earlier. She nodded, as sheepish smile on her face. "Thanks, but no thanks Dee."

"Yeah, it didn't quite turned out as planned." She agreed. She sighed. "I'm going to go try and make sure they realize who's number one in his life."

"Good luck." Calla called after her as my sister entered the hyperlift. She looked at Chase. "So, seriously, I'm gonna for, like, three hours, and you build eight android girlfriends?"

Chase hesitated before answering. "It was Dani's idea, and you said no." He reminded her. She nodded.

"Fair enough." She agreed, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Hey, what if I asked you to create a bunch of hot robot dudes to worship me?" Bree inquired. Chase shook his head.

"It's not worth it. For some reason, they'll all just like Kaz." He replied. I walked over to Skylar, who had moved to stand at the other end of the room.

"Hey, are you alright?" I figured she probably wasn't, after everything that happened. She shook her head.

"I just can't stop thinking about Caldera." She admitted.

"I am so sorry about Scarlet." I told her apologetically. She nodded softly.

"I just wish I got to her before the opposition did." She replied. "Now that they've torn Caldera apart, it's never going to be the same. My home is gone."

"No, it's not." I assured her. She looked at me sharply, confused. "This is your home. You belong here with us."

"I second that motion." Bree added.

"Third." Chase agreed. Calla smirked.

"It's official; you're stuck with us." She declared. Skylar smiled, touched.

"You sure?" She asked all of us, "I mean, like you said, I'm a crazy alien girl with fourteen toes and really weird habits."

"And we wouldn't have it any other way." Bree assured her.

"And besides, I'm going you to help me with my new superpowers." Calla added.

"Speaking of which," Chase looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was trying to figure out the coolest way to show you." She admitted. "Because as cool as powers are, I'm pretty much playing ultimate Frisbee."

"Emphasis on the ultimate part." Bree added.

"But how did you even get them?" I questioned.

"Skylar knew I wanted more powers, so she acted as a buffer between me and the Arcturion." Calla explained.

"You touched it?" I turned to Skylar, shocked that she would do something so reckless. "You could have been killed."

"I know," She agreed, "But sometimes you have to take a risk to help the ones you care about."

I nodded thoughtfully, then noticed the way she was looking at me. Expectantly, as if she was waiting for me to say something. But what did she want me to…oh. "Kinda like I did for you."

"Wow, he picked up on that quicker than I thought." Bree commented, smirking. Skylar gave me a sweet smile.

"You really stuck up for me today, Oliver. It meant a lot." She told me. I smiled, seeing an opportunity.

"Well, if you wanted to repay me, you could go on a date with me?" I suggested hopefully. She DID say she liked me, so…

She didn't think about it for very long. "One date." She decided. "And we'll see where it goes from there."

I grinned. "Sounds great." I replied, managing to keep it cool. Well, on the outside. I was freaking out on the inside, which was further proven when Dani came up to the main floor to tell me to stop screaming 'she said yes, she said yes' in her head.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: So, what did you guys think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? Seriously, don't forget to review. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **April 3** **rd** **: Sheep Shifting**

 **April 17** **th** **: Game of Drones**

 **April 24** **th** **: They Grow Up So Fast**

 **Oh, and don't forget to catch the first chapter of Love and War this Friday! Anyway, I'll see you guys later!**


	13. Sheep Shifting

**Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm back, with Sheep-Shifting! But before we move onto that, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked it so much. Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Eliteforce12: I'm glad you liked what I did with it. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Darth Becky 726: Well, he didn't seem that angry with Bree, to be honest. A little annoyed, yes, but not that much. And his relationship with Bree and his relationship with Calla are very different. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: I'm really glad you liked the chapter! As for where Centium City is located, I'm fairly certain it's in Illinois. There were comments made in the first episode that they waited about 3 hours for Davenport, Bree, and Chase to arrive, and a flight in a private jet from California to Illinois is anywhere between 3 to 3.5 hours, depending on which cities are being left/arrived at. Not to mention, the state makes sense because it's between Philadelphia and California. And yeah, things are going by pretty fast. I'm more shocked that there's only 3 more episode-based chapters left before I go full-original. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Originalguest: I'm glad you liked it and Bree's upgrade. As for flashlight hands, I've got…different plans for those. I didn't think Chase would really be that mad, or for that long – I mean, he knew she wanted powers, even if he didn't think she needed any. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

 **Guest: I'm glad you liked that part. Enjoy!**

 **SzymonS: I'm really glad you liked it so much! Enjoy!**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm glad you liked it. No, there will not be other Lab Rats characters in Love and War – I'm mainly focusing on Mighty Med and Elite Force characters. Oh, and if you'd like to know when I'm going to update next, please check the AN at the end of the chapter.**

 **Aliqueen16: Yes, twin telepathy is the best. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Me too. I can't decide if the Super-Friends song was my favorite part, or the proposal. It was definitely one of my favorite episodes of all time. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm glad you liked it, and what I did with the robots. I would have given Bree powers, but giving two characters superpowers in a row was going to be hard to pull off in a realistic setting, and I couldn't think of a plausible explanation for how Bree would get powers too. As for Jaden and the others? Soon. That's all I can say. And those are both great ideas, and I will definitely add chapters like that in season 2. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: Thanks. Enjoy.**

 **AwesomenessSeaweedBrain: Yeah, go ahead and use it.**

 **Artxmisbae: You got it on April Fool's Day? Huh, that is weird. I posted it on March 27** **th** **. Anyway, thanks and enjoy the chapter.**

 **Poppy32: I do intend to. Enjoy!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Skylar: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

"Okay, the timer is set. Nothing better than pranking new victims on Halloween." Oliver grinned at me. Ah, Halloween. Most people looked forward to it because of the candy, or the excuse to watch horror films, or even the costumes. But not us. For years now, Oliver, Dani and I had been using this as a second April Fool's day, and this year was no exception. "I can't believe Dee is missing this."

"Sucks for her – this is the perfect opportunity." I added with a grin. I glanced towards the kitchen, where Bree and Chase were grabbing lunch. "Bree just did her hair, and Chase has no sense of humor. What could possibly go wrong?"

"They have no idea what's about to hit them." Oliver agreed as Skylar walked down the stairs. He jumped to his feet to greet her. "Hey, Skylar. I just wanted to remind you about my standing offer for one romantic dinner, and that offer also applies to romantic lunch, breakfast, smoothie, and other select thick beverages."

"Sure." We all looked at her in surprise when she said yes. "How about dinner tonight?"

Oliver sighed, disappointed. "I get it. You're busy. I totally under-wait, did you just say yes?"

"Dude," I looked at him. "You can't do dinner tonight. We have plans." He looked at me, confused. "Annual Halloween pranks? We've been doing them together since we were eight? New victims? Dude, c'mon. Dee already bailed to help Liv out with something – don't you be a flake too."

"I totally forgot that it was Halloween." Skylar told us apologetically. She gave Oliver a smile. 'We can do dinner tomorrow."

"No, no, no! You already said yes. You can't take it back! We're doing this!" He reminded her quickly. He beamed. "She said yes! Alright! Where do I begin?" He raced to the kitchen and pulled a few plates out of the cupboard. Suddenly, the sound of ticking grew louder, became audible, and then, a large blob of pumpkin guts exploded from the cupboard and splattered all over Oliver's shirt. He looked down at the shirt in disgust while the rest of us laughed, then shrugged. "Hey, I still have a date with Skylar. Not even a nose full of pumpkin can change that."

 **Xxx**

"Chase, Calla, help!" I screamed, rushing into mission command. The two geniuses were sitting at one of the consols, both of them looking into separate microscopes. I held up my blood hand for them to see. "I was flying around the city and I clipped a radio tower!"

They glanced at me, initially concerned, but then shook their heads. "You'll be fine." Chase assured me. I sighed, realizing that I hadn't fooled them, and pulled off the bloody, rubber hand.

"What gave it away?" I questioned.

"Rubber arm, fake blood, and you have two left hands." Calla replied. I sighed and tossed the rubber hand into the trash.

"Without Oliver and Dani, all my pranks are lame." I complained. "Dani's recipe for fake blood is amazing, second only to Oliver's oozing 'marshmallow pus'."

"You three have a very odd relationship." Chase told us.

"Hey, you guys are smart." I remembered. "You want to help me pull off some pranks?"

"I've got better things to do with my time." Chase replied.

"Yes." I grinned at Calla's response. "But not right now. We've got work to do."

"What are you doing, anyway?" I inquired, curious.

"You remember when Roman and Riker blasted out our windows?" Chase questioned as Calla placed a vial of liquid in a centrifuge. I nodded.

"Of course I remember. The glass got everywhere. I had to throw out a whole bowl of salsa." I replied, still saddened by the loss of the treat.

"Well, we were able to extract their DNA from the flash drive they left behind." Calla continued, not taking her eyes off the centrifuge. "If we can isolate the components of their shape-shifting power, I can replicate it and figure out a way to stop them from using it."

"Then we'll finally get rid of the biggest threat to superheroes this world has ever known." Chase finished. I looked at them, disappointed.

"But it's Halloween!" I protested. Who worked on Halloween?

 **Bree's POV**

"Hey," I greeted Dani as I walked into the lobby of Davenport Tower. She was waiting for the elevator, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She looked exhausted, if I had to say. "You just get back?"

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling at me. "I miss much?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." I replied as the doors slid open. We both stepped into the elevator. "So, what did Alivia have you do, anyway?"

"Um, some reconnaissance." She replied. "She wanted some information on a superhero she's trying to recruit."

"You don't seem happy about it." I observed. She sighed irritably.

"She wants me to check out new superheroes, which is always risky. A, they're new, so we have no idea what allegiance they are – I could be following a super-powered serial killer for all I know – and B, with so many superheroes dead, they're bound to be paranoid of anyone following them, so there's like a 4 out of 10 chance that they're going to turn around and attack me." She explained. "Which isn't fun."

"Why can't Alivia do it?" I questioned as we reached our floor. Dani walked past me, slid her key card into the slot, and pushed open the door.

"Because-" We'd barely opened the front door when Perry came running up from behind us, screaming. She raced past us and ducked behind the couch, shaking. Dani and I exchanged looks, then followed her in.

"What's going on, Perry?" I questioned, curious.

"It's Halloween! That means it's my turn to die!" She cried. Dani looked at her, bemused.

"You know, I was gonna go help Ollie and Kaz with their pranks, but this seems a lot more interesting." She declared, tossing her bag onto the couch and sitting down. She smiled at Perry. "You were saying?"

"You may recall that I was a child actor on the hit TV show 'The Little Squirts'." Perry told us, getting out from behind the couch.

"Nope." I replied, shaking my head. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll show you." She grabbed Calla's laptop and typed 'the little squirts' into the search engine. A picture of her as a kid (surprisingly, she hadn't changed very much) along with four other kids. "The series was cancelled after a horrible accident killed an actor on Halloween night."

"We really don't-" I tried to stop her, but she continued anyway.

"Every year since, one more member of the cast and crew has met an untimely fate on Halloween in ways that directly relate to the show." Perry continued. Dani pulled out her phone and began searching for something on the internet. "We once did an episode with a butcher, and then years later, bam! My co-star Cindy McDougall choked on a flank steak! Tonight I realized, I'm the last living cast member. I'm the last Squirt. Death is coming for me; I have to be ready for anything."

"Well, I hope you're ready for this, because I'm kicking you out." I declared.

"No, no! You can't!" Perry begged. I rolled my eyes.

"Perry, relax. You're not going to die." I promised her. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence that a few of your co-workers died on the same day of the year."

"34." Dani corrected. I looked at her and she held up her phone as proof. "34 of her co-workers suffered horrible deaths on the same day, every year."

"Yeah, you might be in trouble." I admitted.

"Which is why you're going to protect me." Perry decided. "I'm not leaving your side until this thing is over!"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Dani stopped her. "Run that by us again?"

"I have to wait until midnight until I'm in the clear, then I can go get candy!" Perry exclaimed happily. Dani and I both shared a reluctant look. "Oh, come on. It'll be fun. Bree, Dani, and Perry, hanging out all night, doing middle-aged lady stuff."

"We're eighteen and twenty." I reminded her. She looked at us.

"Yikes. Time has not been kind to you." She told us.

 **Xxx**

Several hours later, and Perry was still following us around, barely giving us any room to breathe. "Okay, Perry, you seriously need to stop! You follow us every time we take a step."

"Then take less steps." Perry retorted as she followed us down the stairs. In the middle of the living room sat a table with a bowl of popcorn on it.

"Aah! Popcorn!" Perry shrieked, ducking behind us.

"Oh, relax. It's obviously just one of Kaz's lame pranks." I gestured at the table. Under the table cloth was a pair of sneakers, visible to anyone with eyes. Dani smirked and leaned in close to the bowl.

"We can see your shoes." She told it. The shoes were pulled back and Kaz's head popped up, poking through the popcorn.

"Worst Halloween ever." He muttered. He looked up at his girlfriend hopefully. "Hey, can you drizzle butter on me?"

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey, guys, you want to help me for a second?" I requested as I stepped into Mission Command, the table and popcorn bowl still sitting on my shoulders.

"I said I'd help you with your pranks later, Kaz." Calla replied, not looking up from the formula she and Chase were working on.

"Oh, this isn't a prank." I replied. "I'm actually stuck."

Chase looked up and sighed, before coming over and helping me out of under the table. "Thanks." I told him. He shook his head, placing the table on the ground. I sighed irritably. "I can't prank you guys, I can't prank Bree. The only ones left are Oliver, Skylar, and Dani, but they know all my tricks. Halloween is ruined."

"Well, you can stay down here with us and help us with some experiments we're running. I'm currently analyzing some of the rocks I brought home from Caldera, if you'd like to help." Calla offered. I laughed.

"I'm not that desperate." I told her. "So, what about your shape-shifty science thing going?"

"We managed to successfully replicate Roman and Riker's powers into a serum." Chase replied proudly. I grinned.

"So, it's ready?" I asked. Calla nodded.

"We think so. But we need something to test it on." She replied.

"I'm going to go dig up some earthworms to try it on." Chase offered, heading for the hyperlift. Just as he disappeared, Calla's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID.

"I gotta take this." She told me, heading out of the room to get better reception. I smirked and walked over to the vial of serum. Oh, this would be the perfect thing to up my pranking game.

"Who needs earthworms when you've got this squirmy little guy right here?" I took the vial and downed it in one shot, forcing myself to swallow the putrid tasting liquid. "I'm sensing that's supposed to be injected, not swallowed."

 **Oliver's POV**

"I didn't know you could cook." Skylar commented, taking a bite of her spaghetti. "This is really good. Who taught you?"

"No one." I replied. She looked at me in surprise. "Mom always worked late…or committed crimes late, I guess, so Dee and I were always in charge of making ourselves dinner. After a couple of years, you get the hang of it. And spaghetti's not that hard."

"I just love your Earth cuisine." She commented. "All the stuff on Caldera was hot and tasteless."

"Well, in that case, I'd be happy to cook for you anytime." I assured her. She smiled at placed her hand on top of mine, squeezing it gently. I smiled; this was going perfectly. Dinner on the veranda, underneath the stars, all alone…everything I could have hoped for, and it was all going perfectly.

Suddenly, a loud whirring sound filled the air, and a dark cloud flew above us. "It's Roman and Riker!" Skylar gasped, jumping to her feet.

"Okay, I know they're supervillains, but even for them, this is cruel." I glowered at the cloud, throwing my napkin onto the table. Skylar raised one hand and blasted the cloud. But instead of recovering quickly, like Roman and Riker, it fell to the ground. The cloud came together and merged into…Kaz?

"Ow." He complained, rubbing his chest and briefly giving Skylar a dirty look before bursting into laughter.

"Kaz?!" We both demanded, staring at him.

"Oh, you should have seen the looks on your faces." He laughed whole-heartedly. We continued to stare at him, confused. "Chase and Calla made a shape-shifting serum. All you have to do is think about what form you want to change into. Check it out." His form turned to clouds for a second, then into my sister. "Hi, I'm Dani. I smell pretty." He shapeshifted again, this time into Perry. "Hi, I'm Perry, and I definitely don't smell pretty."

I sighed irritably. Figures that Kaz would interrupt our date. "Big deal. The cyber cloaks can do that."

"No, this is way better." Kaz insisted. "I can turn into anything, not just people. Watch."

He shapeshifted once more, this time turning into a large, smelly sheep. He bleated loudly, looking at us. "Kaz, you're a sheep."

"This is probably the weirdest date I've ever been on." Skylar decided. I sighed.

"Fun's over, Kaz. Switch back so Skylar and I can finish our dinner." I told him. To my annoyance, he refuses to do anything.

"Well, this evening is going as well as expected." We turned to see Chase leaning against the doorframe. Calla walked out onto the veranda.

"Sorry to interrupt guys, but have either of you seen Kaz? We're missing a vial of our shape-shifting serum." She questioned. She frowned. "Also, what's with the sheep?"

"Oh, that's Kaz." I informed her. She and Chase both looked surprised. "He drank your serum, and turned into a sheep."

"No, no, no, no." Chase panicked. Calla sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"That could be problematic." She muttered.

"Why? What's wrong?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"When Roman and Riker shape-shift, they still think like Roman and Riker, but when Kaz changed into a sheep, he took on the mental capacity of a sheep." Chase explained. "And a sheep has a very small mental capacity!"

"Less than Kaz? That seems unlikely." I commented dryly.

"Well, then, just change him back." Skylar suggested, confused as to why they hadn't done so already.

"We…don't know how." Calla admitted, frowning as she looked at Sheep-Kaz.

"Wait, so you mean that Kaz could be stuck like this forever?" I demanded.

"Well, no, not forever." Chase assured me. "Sheep have a very short lifespan."

"Well, we have to figure out a way to turn him back." I insisted.

"Well…" Skylar trailed off. I looked at her. "Well, he's kinda cute, and he's not talking, which is a plus."

"And I don't know how to turn him back." Calla added. I thought about it.

"What if I show him a picture of the real Kaz? Maybe it'll jog his little sheep memory." I suggested. I pulled out my phone, swiped through my photo gallery until I found a picture with Kaz in it, then showed it to Sheep-Kaz. "Hey, buddy, this is you. Pay no attention to the sweater – it's…it's not wool, it's polyester."

Sheep-Kaz bleated at me in response. "It's not working." Calla observed.

"Why won't he turn back?" I questioned, looking back at them.

"I don't know." Chase shook his head, frustrated. "Let's go down to Mission Command and try to find a way to reverse the serum."

"Okay. We'll come." I gave Skylar an apologetic look – this was interrupting our date – but she shrugged, not upset.

"Kaz," She turned to the sheep, then paused. "Uh, stay." She ordered before heading into Mission Command with us.

 **Bree's POV**

"And when Tilly Dobson fell off that ladder, down the mountain, and right onto that chainsaw, I knew I was next!" Perry was telling us when we re-entered the penthouse. To our surprise, there was a sheep randomly standing in our living room. "Ah! A sheep! This is it! This is how I'm going to die!"

"It's a sheep." Dani stated the obvious. "Don't be ridiculous – it's harmless."

"Dani's right." I agreed. "Can I explain why there's a sheep in our living room? No, I can not, but it's probably just another one of Kaz's stupid pranks. But that doesn't mean it's here to kill you."

"Just get rid of it before I do!" Perry snapped. Dani took a step in front of the sheep protectively. I sighed.

"You poor thing." I ran my hand through the sheep's fuzzy hair. "Let me get you someplace safe before Kaz gets back."

"Safe, right?" Dani repeated.

"Safe and happy." I promised her before leading the sheep out of the penthouse. There was a carnival in town – they'd have a petting zoo that would love this sheep.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Okay, this new serum should turn Sheep-Kaz back into Kaz-Kaz." Chase declared as we reached the main floor of the penthouse. To our surprise, Dani was back, and talking to Perry. No, wait, Kaz! It must be!

"Kaz! You've shapeshifted into Perry!" I exclaimed gleefully. Both of them looked at me.

"Oliver! You've shapeshifted into an idiot!" Perry exclaimed in response.

"Nope, that's all Perry." Calla told me, amused.

"I have a question: what happened to the sheep that was here?" Skylar spoke up.

"Well, Perry thought it was here to kill me, so Bree took it someplace it'd be appreciated." Dani explained. "Why?"

"I better call her." Chase decided, pulling out his phone. Dani frowned and looked at me.

"Why?" She repeated, just as Chase managed to get ahold of his sister.

"Bree, where are you?" Chase demanded. He paused. "The petting zoo? Look, whatever you do, do not give away that sheep." She said something on the other line, and Chase cursed. "Well, you'd better get it back, because that sheep is Kaz!"

"What?" Dani stared at us, bewildered. "How?"

"Long story." I explained. Chase hung up.

"She's going to bring the sheep back here." He told us.

"That thing is coming back here?" Perry demanded. "Well, I'm going to barricade myself in Mission Command. I'll be safe there; no one on my TV show ever died in a high-tech control center." She paused, thinking about it. "Wait. Library, movie theatre, bowling alley…Nope! I'm good!"

Perry bolted for the hyperlift. "I'd explain that, but really, it would only make things weirder." Dani said with a smirk. Bree sped in then, holding Sheep-Kaz. "Now seriously, that's Kaz?"

"Yep." I bent down to examine Sheep-Kaz. "You okay? He looks pale to me. Does he look pale to you?" I glanced at the others for their opinion.

"He's a sheep." Skylar told me.

"Hey, are you sure we can't keep him like this?" Bree inquired. "I mean, until we can all get a nice sweater out of him?"

"No!" Dani and I retorted, looking at her.

"Here." Calla handed me the vial of anti-serum. "Make him drink it."

I coaxed the liquid down Sheep-Kaz's throat. "Alright, so if this works, then Sheep-Kaz should become…" Nothing happened, despite Calla and Chase having hypothesized that it would work in mere seconds. "Then Sheep-Kaz should become…" Again, nothing.

"Yay! We might al get sweaters after all!" Bree beamed happily.

"Why isn't it working?" Dani demanded, looking pointedly at Calla and Chase.

"I don't know. The anti-serum was perfect!" Chase insisted.

 **Bree's POV**

"Perry, are you down here?" I figured one of us might as well go down to Mission Command to make sure she hadn't broken anything.

"Over here!" Her head poked out from the popcorn bowl that Kaz had hidden in earlier. "I'm freaking out!"

"Clearly." I agreed.

"It's almost midnight, so whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen soon." She continued. "This is the only thing I could find to protect me!"

"Uh, there's a whole room of weapons and artillery, but okay." Actually, maybe it was best that a panicked and paranoid Perry wasn't near all of the deadly weapons. "Hey, you know what? How about I make you a nice cup of team to calm you down, okay?"

"Tea?" She repeated, staring at me like I had grown another head. "Are you trying to kill me? My co-star, Philip Damasio, died when he drank from a pot of tea while the water was still boiling! His insides melted! I heard the only thing left was his signature handlebar mustache, floating in a puddle of chamomile."

"Handlebar mustache?" I repeated, my mind racing. When I'd sold Sheep-Kaz (before I rebought him), I'd sold him to a man with a handlebar mustache. And he looked to be about the same age as Perry's co-star too… "I'll be right back."

I sped off towards the petting zoo, grabbed the man by the arm, and raced back to Mission Command without stopping to explain.

"Who's this guy?" Perry questioned.

"It's Philip Damasio." I lied quickly. Perry looked skeptical. "He's alive and well and working at the Centium City Petting Zoo. What a coincidence!" The mustached man looked at me, so I quickly pulled out my wallet and whispered, "Here's 20 bucks. Just go with it."

He took the 20 dollars from me and pocketed it, while Perry stared at him. "Is it really you, Philly D?"

"Oh, yes it is." I rushed to answer for him. I gestured at him, a fake smile on my face. "Right age, right look, little handlebar mustache."

Perry smiled for a moment, before looking confused. "So, you went from being a child star to working in a petting zoo?" I gulped, thinking she'd seen through my lie, but she grinned. "You're living the dream!"

My watch beeped then. "Hey, look! It's past midnight!" I exclaimed, thankful that my time as Perry's reluctant bodyguard was finally over. "You made it! You're alive!"

"You're right!" Perry breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the mustached man. "That means you and I are the last two living squirts. It must be fate. Let's go grab a late-night dinner, maybe rekindle our onscreen romance."

The mustached man looked at me, panicked, as Perry walked towards the hyperlift. "Here's another 20." I handed him another bill. He shook his head, and I sighed. "Fine." I pulled out another forty dollars and handed it to him. He sighed and followed Perry to the hyperlift.

 **Oliver's POV**

"I can't believe our anti-serum didn't work." Calla muttered, clearly bothered by that fact.

"I can't believe my boyfriend is a sheep." Dani stated, still baffled by the situation we were in.

"This is awful. Kaz can't be a sheep for the rest of his life." I sighed. "He owes me ten bucks."

"Wait. When I zapped the cloud, thinking it was Roman and Riker, it changed Kaz back to his normal self." Skylar remembered. "Maybe if I zap Sheep-Kaz, it's do the same thing."

"That could work." Chase agreed.

"Or it could kill him." I pointed out. Dani nodded.

"Yeah, let's not do that." She agreed. "We have no idea if it'll work. We could fry him to a crisp."

"The whole place would smell like burnt wool." I added.

"What other choice do we have?" Chase questioned.

"It's our only option." Calla agreed.

"But…fine." Dani sighed, albeit reluctantly.

"But just in case it doesn't work out, I have a few things I want to say to Kaz first." I declared. Dani nodded.

"Me too." Dani agreed. The others nodded and stepped away to give us some privacy. Dani and I both knelt down to talk to Sheep-Kaz.

"Hey buddy, sorry we weren't here for you on Halloween." I apologized. "I should have rescheduled my date with Skylar. I mean, she and I are going to be together for the rest of our lives, so we'll have plenty of time for dinner later."

"Run that by me again?" Skylar questioned, interrupting.

"I can't believe you turned yourself into a sheep." Dani commented, shaking her head. "Seriously, Kaz? Do you have any idea how weird it is to have a sheep for a boyfriend?"

"You're not helping, I don't think." I commented.

"It's just so weird." She insisted. She petted Sheep-Kaz's head. "Please don't die."

"Look, buddy, no matter what happens now, you'll always be my best friend." I promised Sheep-Kaz. "But you still owe me ten bucks. I love you, man."

Sheep-Kaz bleated loudly, and I felt my heart clench. "Don't get emotional, Kaz. You're going to make me cry."

"Uh, Oliver?" I turned to see Kaz, in human form, standing by the front door, a confused look on his face.

"You're not a sheep!" Dani lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back, a bemused expression on his face.

"How is this possible?" Chase questioned.

"Well, the serum wore off while a 6-year-old was petting me." Kaz explained. He chuckled to himself. "That kid's gonna be scarred for life."

"Bree must have grabbed the wrong sheep." Calla realized. She, Dani, and Chase shrugged before heading down to Mission Command, presumably to let Bree know about her hilarious mistake.

Kaz looked at Skylar and I apologetically. "I'm sorry I ruined your guys' night."

"You didn't." Skylar cut in before I reply. I looked at her, surprised.

"Really?" Kaz and I responded at the same time. She nodded.

"I mean, it certainly was the most interesting date I've ever been on, but that's not a bad thing. I liked it." Skylar insisted. She smirked at me. "To be honest, I was afraid you were going to end it with some cheesy fireworks or something."

"Please, as if I would do something that cliché." I assured her. "Um, would you excuse me? I should clean our dishes."

The moment I was out of earshot, I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed AJ's number. "Abort the show. Abort the show." I hissed.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey guys." I grinned, walking into Mission Command to see Calla and Chase looking into a microscope. "What are you up to?"

"Examining Calderan rocks. I found some minerals I'm unfamiliar with, and want to see if I replicate them." Calla explained.

"What about you?" Chase inquired, stepping back to let Calla get a better look.

"Well, I just took the other sheep back to the petting zoo, and I'm pretty sure Perry has a new boyfriend. Some guy with a handlebar mustache." I shrugged. "I saw them tandem-riding a donkey."

"Douglas will be happy to hear that. Finally, she's moved on." Calla smirked.

"So, where's the vials of shape-shifting serum? I figured you guys would want to improve on it." I commented.

"We got rid of all of it. We just couldn't crack shapeshifting – no matter what we did, our scientific methods only worked temporarily." Chase explained. "Which is a good thing for you, or else you'd still be munching on hay right now."

"It's not that bad." I reasoned.

"Well, I guess Roman and Riker's powers are still a mystery, so we're pretty much right back to where we started." Chase sighed.

"Helping your girlfriend look at rocks." I commented. Calla gave me a look. "Hey, don't sound so disappointed. I'm back to normal…although, my feet are killing me."

I pulled up my pant leg to scratch at it, then stopped when it revealed white hair, just like the leg of a sheep. Chase and Calla started, shocked.

"MISS, get Oliver down here!" Calla exclaimed. "Kaz is still part sheep!"

A moment later, the hyperlift doors opened to reveal a sheep. "Hey, what's up?" Oliver's voice came from the sheep.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Calla exclaimed, completely stunned.

"Our research!" Chase realized. The two geniuses exchanged looks, then scrambled out of the lab to get their research. Oliver laughed and stepped out from behind the sheep, while I removed the fake lamb leg I'd worn.

"Oh, it's good to have you back, buddy." Oliver laughed, hugging me.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: I hope you guys liked it. Anyway, you should know that I'm taking a brief HIATUS – I've got finals next week and instead of writing, I'm going to spend this week studying my ass off, so this will be the schedule for the rest of season 1:**

 **April 17** **th** **: Game of Drones**

 **April 24** **th** **: They Grow Up So Fast**

 **May 1** **st** **: The Attack**

 **May 8** **th** **: Against the Odds**

 **May 15** **th** **: I Do**

 **Anyway, I'll see you all in a couple of weeks! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	14. Game of Drones

**Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm back, with another chapter! This time, it's Game of Drones! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Astronema2345: Unfortunately, they announced the series' cancellation not long after the final episode played.**

 **Amazingchichi741: Thanks. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla347: Me too. It was hilarious. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm really glad you liked it. As for Dani…well, even if she was doing something else for Alivia, why wouldn't she tell the team about it? I mean, why lie? Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **EliteForce12: I'm really glad you liked it, and that you understand about finals. Thanks, and enjoy the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: Thanks, and I'm glad you're excited about the original chapters. Enjoy this chapter!**

 **GU3ST: The next Q &A chapter will be in early season 2.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Thanks, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. As for Bree getting superpowers, let's just leave that as a maybe. At the moment, I really don't think that I need to give her anything else, but who knows? Things can change. And I can't believe it either – only They Grow Up So Fast and The Attack remain. For me, it's bittersweet, because on one hand, I get to start season 2, with all the plots I have lined up, but on the other, it means I'm almost done writing from the show, which I actually really enjoyed. I think you're really going to like I Do – as you can probably tell from the name, it's the wedding chapter – and yes, we'll be seeing a lot of old characters. I don't know yet how many of them are going to have speaking lines, but there's going to be a lot of old friends there, even some you may not expect to see ;) As for Bree and Jaden's proposal and wedding, you'll definitely see a proposal, but I don't know if I'll have time to have the wedding. I'll try my best, though, and if I find a good time to have it, you'll get it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Perry: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **xxx**

 **Chase's POV**

Calla frowned as she typed out an email to Leo. They liked to keep each other apprised of their adventures – Calla was still bragging about getting superpower and going to another planet, weeks after it happened – but for some reason, she was having trouble concentrating. Eventually, she sighed in annoyance and closed her laptop. "Chase, why are you lurking behind me and watching everything I do?"

"I'm bored." I admitted. "By the way, typo third line."

"Chase-" Calla began, just as Skylar, Dani, and Bree walked down the stairs.

"Hey, Calla, I know we were going to wait until later to go out, but do you wanna go now, grab some fro-yo?" Skylar suggested, grabbing her purse off the table.

"Absolutely." I grinned at the idea.

"She was talking to me." Calla told me, getting up.

"Why can't I go to?" I protested.

"Well, A, because you'd make us all get sugar-free," Calla smirked, amused, "and B, we're going dress shopping after, for the wedding."

"Why are you so needy?" Dani questioned as Calla went to get her purse.

"Ever since I stopped being mission leader, I've been so bored." I explained miserably. "It's amazing how much time you have on your hands when you're not telling everyone else what to do."

"You need a hobby." Bree told me bluntly. Skylar nodded.

"What else do you enjoy doing?" She inquired.

"Telling everyone else what to do." I replied as Calla walked back in.

"Later babe." She kissed me on the cheek, then led the other girls out of the Penthouse. I sighed and leaned back on the couch. I was so bored. I ended up just watching reruns of some crappy sitcom, trying to figure out something more interesting to do.

Eventually, Kaz and Oliver came up to the main floor, excited grins on their faces. "Move over!" Kaz snatched the TV remote away from me and changed it to the sports channel.

"What are you guys doing?" I inquired, hoping for something interesting to do.

"Watching football." Kaz replied. "Our fantasy teams are going head to head today."

"Epic!" Oliver grinned.

"Epic!" Kaz responded with equal enthusiasm.

"I like epic!" I added, trying to join in. They both looked at me suspiciously.

"Uh, no offense Chase, but this is _our_ tradition." Oliver told me. "Between us. Me and him."

"So how do we play?" I asked Kaz, ignoring Oliver.

"Fantasy football isn't really played." Kaz explained with a smile. "The player's stats are given a point value-"

"This looks like math." I commented, analyzing the tablet that Kaz was showing me.

"What? Where?" He demanded, panicking. "Get it off!"

Did he not realize what he was doing was mathematics? "If I'm right, and I always am, you take the statistics and probabilities of the players based on previous numbers and extrapolate the outcomes."

"No, you don't." Kaz retorted. "You see how well they played before, then pick them based on that." I nodded, bemused, as I calculated stats in my head.

"Alright, but according to my formula, you should have started this guy," I pointed at a player on the TV, "because he's going to score about…" The player reached the other end of the field, earning a point for his team. "Now."

"You're a football genius." Kaz realized, his eyes wide. "Epic!"

"Epic!" I grinned.

"I like epic!" Oliver exclaimed, feeling left out. Kaz and I looked at him, a little put off by the interruption, before I started to tell him where he needed to change his team.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Kaz, there you are." After hours of searching, I finally managed to locate Kaz in Mission Command. He and Chase were standing near the consol in Mission Command, over a bunch of scrap metal. "Where have you been? We were supposed to see the movie three hours ago."

"Oh, right. The movie…didn't you see my text?" Kaz questioned. I frowned and pulled out my phone. There weren't any new texts – only the pictures Kaz had sent me yesterday.

"The last text you send me is a picture of your inner elbow that looks like a butt." I pointed out. Kaz paused.

"It must have been before that." He told me. I scrolled through the texts.

"Nope. Just a picture of your knee-butt, shoulder-butt, and what I'm hoping is your toe-butt." I replied. Kaz sighed, defeated.

"Alright, you got me. I forgot." He told me apologetically.

"Dude, we've had plans to see this movie for weeks." I insisted.

"It's my fault." Chase spoke up, taking the blame. "Kaz and I have been hanging out all day."

"Yeah, ever since Chase stopped being mission leader, he's a lot more fun." Kaz added. Chase grinned.

"I am." He agreed. I frowned.

"This guy? Mr. Tightwad McSciencehead?" I questioned skeptically.

"Yeah. We found out that there's this drone race in the park this weekend, so we entered and now we're building our own drone." Kaz explained.

"Well, what about me?" I questioned, hurt. "Did ou ever think I'd like to build a drone?"

"You can help us-" Chase began, but I cut him off.

"I don't want to build a drone!" I snapped quickly. I turned back to Kaz. "I can't believe you ditched me."

"Look, I'm sorry." Kaz apologized. "We'll go see the movie tomorrow. But c'mon. Help us build the drone."

"Alright." I replied reluctantly, walking over to them.

"Say, what movie were you guys going to go see, anyway?" Chase inquired.

"Oh, the King of Diamonds." I replied. Chase scoffed.

"Oh, don't waste your time. Kaz and I already saw it this after and it was hor…" Chase stopped, realizing that he'd just ratted Kaz out. I glared at the two of them, annoyed. "I'd like to see that elbow-butt."

 **Calla's POV**

"These dresses are gorgeous." I complimented as we headed up to the penthouse. "Seriously, you guys are going to look hot."

"I love the color." Skylar commented.

"Oh, and wait until Chase sees you in your dress." Bree gushed. She shook her head. "If he doesn't cry, I'm going to slap him."

"Well, that's what maid of honors are for, right?" I joked, pushing open the door to the Penthouse. To our surprise, Perry was inside, sitting all alone on the couch while looking at a photo album.

"I'll bring this upstairs. We can keep them in our room so the boys don't see them." Bree offered, taking the dress bags from us and speeding upstairs.

"Perry, how'd you get in here?" I questioned, crossing my arms and looking at the older woman.

"You'd be surprised about the places you can go to through an air conditioning duct." She commented in response. Skylar sat down on the couch next to her, a look of curiosity on her face.

"What are you looking at?" She inquired.

"My old family photo albums." Perry replied as she flipped the page. "Decided to dust them off now that I'm back in my hometown."

Dani leaned over the couch, looking over Perry's shoulder at the pics. She flipped to another page, and I caught a glance at a picture of a very busty woman with orange hair, wearing a clown-like costume and standing on top of a tightrope. "Who's that on the tightrope?" Dani asked, curious, just as Bree sped back onto the main floor.

"My Aunt Barbara." Perry replied. She looked at us. "This might surprise you, but we Perry are circus folk."

"You don't say." Bree commented, walking past me to grab a drink from the kitchen.

"It's true." Perry insisted, the sarcasm going right over her head. "The women in my family were all talented wire-walkers. I come from a long line of them. Look." She began to flip through the pages, showing us different images of her ancestors on tightropes.

"This is actually pretty cool." I commented, impressed. Perry sighed.

"Yeah, but they all fell attempting the hardest walk of all – between two skyscrapers." Perry explained. She paused, then corrected herself. "Sorry, almost all of them fell. My Grandma Gertie was pushed by Grandpa George."

"Well, the bloodlust had to start somewhere." I said, half-joking.

"All the women in my family were trailblazers, but I've never done anything that mattered." Perry sighed.

"C'mon. That can't be true." Skylar tried to cheer her up, but Perry shook her head.

"It is. You wouldn't understand because you have all these amazing powers." She told the alien. She then looked at us. "And you know what kind of amazing powers Skylar has."

"Perry, I'm sure you've done something noteworthy." Skylar tried again. She looked at us. "Right guys?"

Dani adverted her gaze, while I shook my head. "Well, nothing she should be proud of." Bree answered. Perry jumped to her feet.

"You know what? I'm going to do it." Our former principal announced. "I'm going to do the walk."

"Sweet." "I love it." Dani and Skylar grinned.

"What? No. No." I shook my head quickly.

"This is probably the worst idea you've ever had, and you have had some very bad ideas." Bree insisted.

"I know, but this is one of my best bad ideas." Perry told her sincerely. "All, I have to do is walk, and I've been doing that since I was eight."

"Not on a high wire between two skyscrapers." Bree reminded her.

"This is not going to end well." I agreed. "You can't do this."

"Yes, I do." Perry argued. "And I'm going to prove it to you. I'm going to go online right now and find the cheapest tightrope money can buy."

"I'll help." Dani offered her, following Perry out. Skylar looked at us.

"Why won't you support her?" She questioned.

"Well, for reasons I still can't decipher, we don't want her to die." I replied, staring at her. Skylar rolled her eyes.

"It'll be fine. What could go wrong?" She assured us, heading after Dani and Perry.

"I hate it when they say that." Bree muttered.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Alright, the base of the drone is ready." Chase announced, stepping back from the drone. Kaz and I looked on, admiring the finished drone. "Now, we just gotta soup her up so she can annihilate the competition."

Kaz and I chuckled and exchanged looks. "I was not aware that the drone was a 'she'." Kaz chuckled, amused.

"Everything I create is a 'she'." Chase told us, smirking, before patting the top of the drone. "Isn't that right, Linda?"

"I'm just excited to build the drone." I commented. Kaz nodded excitedly, his mind racing.

"Oh, I saw we add a confetti cannon, and since she's a lady, we paint her a nice candy apple red, and add a little smile on the front."

"Kaz, you can't be serious." I replied. He looked at me, confused. "Those are terrible ideas!"

"No, they're not." He retorted, offended. He looked past me. "Right Chase?"

"No." Chase replied. "Not at all. I think they're great ideas."

"See?" Kaz smirked, glad that someone was backing him up. "Oh! I was also thinking we could add tinted windows, skis in case of a water landing, and a little speaker that play mariachi music. That way, we can call her La Drona."

"Or how about we just call her La Lame-o." I grumbled. La Drona? That was a terrible name.

"Okay, you know what?" Kaz turned on me, actually pissed off. "Ever since we invited you in, all you've done is bash my ideas are stupid!"

"Kaz, I'm not saying your ideas are stupid. I'm saying they're wrong." I clarified. He glared at me. "Oh, c'mon Kaz, even you have to admit that they're over the top."

"You know what? If You can't be more supportive like Chase, then I don't think you should be working with us." Kaz snapped. I froze, shocked. He was kicking me out of the group? H-He'd never done anything like that – even in kindergarten, when he, Dee, and I were fighting over who got to use which Lego pieces (which, back in those days, happened more often than it didn't), he'd never suggested I leave. Kaz waited another minute, then spoke up again. "And if you're not going to leave after this uncomfortable exchange, then I will."

And with that, he stalked off towards the hyperlift. "Well, that escalated quickly." Chase mentioned. I glared at him.

"This is your fault." I told him. "What are you trying to do, steal my best friend? You know his ideas are lame."

"Of course they are, and the old Chase would've told him he was wrong and made him feel intellectually inferior." Chase agreed. "But the new Chase is a butt-kissing yes man."

"I thought you weren't supposed to change until AFTER your wedding." I grumbled.

"Look, I'm agreeing to Kaz's ideas for now, but right before the race, I'll rebuild the drone to look the way I want it."

"So, you're still being a control freak, just not to his face." I realized. He nodded.

"Exactly." He grinned back at me.

 **Calla's POV**

"Okay, the tightrope is secured to the roof. At least, I think it is. I've never secured a tightrope before, so who knows?" Dani announced as she and Skylar climbed down the ladder and onto the veranda. Bree and I didn't look at them – we were too busy staring at Perry. She'd walked in a moment ago, clad in a purple leotard with a large, fluffy, pink tutu and matching bows in her hair. In her left hand, she twirled a tiny, purple and yellow umbrella.

"I love the outfit." Skylar grinned. Perry beamed at her.

"Thanks, I stole it off a sleeping clown." She commented before looking up at the ladder. "Well, let's do this."

She started to climb up the ladder. "I'm getting my phone so I can take pictures." Dani called, racing upstairs. Bree, Skylar, and I watched Perry climb up to the roof, where a tight, thin tightrope was suspended between Davenport Tower and another tower, about 20 feet away.

"I can't believe you're actually going to go through with this." I looked at Perry, horrified.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bree questioned, staring at the older woman. "You haven't even practiced."

"I did practice." Perry insisted. "I walked here from my apartment, and I only fell twice."

"Okay, Perry, listen to me." Bree looked at her, a very serious look on her face. "If you do this, you're going to die. And for some reason, that actually upsets Calla and I."

"I get it." Perry assured her. "You're obsessed with me. You don't have to be so creep about it."

"Eww, no." I replied as Perry climbed up next to the tightrope. By this point, Dani had returned with her phone. She took a picture of Perry by the tightrope, a smirk on her face.

"All I have to do is walk to the other side and back." Perry announced, completely confident that she could do it. "Before you know it, I'll be the pride of the Perry family."

"You're so brave." Skylar complimented her. Perry scoffed.

"Tell me something I don't know." She replied. Skylar thought about it, obviously taking the expression for its literal meaning.

"I have microscopic vision, and there is an alarming amount of insects living in your hair." She told her. Perry rolled her eyes.

"Again, tell me something I don't know." She replied. She turned around, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the wire.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Kaz, there you are!" I sighed in relief, finding my best friend in the kitchen. He looked up at me, but didn't say anything as he continued to make himself a sandwich. Still mad then. "I wanted to apologize for earlier – I never should have shot down your ideas. I'm sorry."

Kaz sighed. "Alright. Apology accepted." He told me, giving me a hug to reassure me that he meant it.

"Really? Just like that?" I was surprised – usually fights like these between us lasted a good few hour before we resolved them. "I was prepared to fake cry and talk about how we've been best friends for years."

"Nah, we're good." He assured me. He offered me half of his peanut butter sandwich. I looked around, curious as to why Chase wasn't taking a lunch break.

"So, where's Chase?" I inquired. Kaz jerked his thumb at the stairs.

"Doing some last-minute adjustments to the drone." He shrugged. "Why?"

I sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to like what I said next. "Look, Kaz, now that we're friends again, there's something I have to tell you. Chase is just placating you."

Kaz scoffed. "No, he's not." He paused. "What does placating mean?"

"It means that he's telling you that your ideas are good, but before the race, he's going to undo all of them." I explained. Kaz shook his head.

"No way, Oliver. I don't believe you." He told me. "You're lying because you want me to hang out with you instead of him."

"I thought you might say that." I nodded, unsurprised. "MISS, could you please play the security footage on the TV?"

" _Of course."_ The TV screen turned on and showed a security recording of Chase and I down in the lab earlier.

" _So, I'm agreeing with Kaz's ideas for now, but right before the race, I'm going to rebuild the drone the way I want it."_ Chase told me on the screen. MISS paused the security recording. Kaz glared at the screen.

"I can't believe him!" He exclaimed, upset. "He's such a control freak!"

"He is." I agreed quickly. Suddenly, Kaz clapped his hands together, grinning.

"Oh, I've got an idea." He ran from the table without an explanation, leaving behind both me and his lunch.

 **Xxx**

"Chase!" Kaz called, walking into the park. It was just about time for the drone race, and almost all of the contestants were hanging in the park, ready to go. Chase smiled when he saw us.

"Hey guys." He greeted. "So, I just put the finishing touches on her. She's all ready to go."

"Really?" Kaz questioned skeptically. "So, all of my suggestions are in there?"

"Yep." Chase nodded. "Even the 20-pound confetti cannon that won't slow her down at all."

Kaz and I exchanged looks. "Liar." My best friend accused. "You were just agreeing to my face, and then switched everything back to the way you want it!"

Chase looked shocked. "Kaz, I didn't-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Kaz snapped before smirking. "And joke's on you, because I entered my own drone in the race, just to make sure yours loses."

"What?" Chase demanded, staring at us.

"I'll go get it ready." Kaz grinned. Chase looked at me. "We took one of Mr. Davenport's drones that we found in Mission Command."

"Where is Mission Command?" He questioned.

"The weapons room." I replied. Duh – that's where we kept all the cool tech.

"The what?" Chase demanded, eyes wide.

"Alright, racers!" The announcer for the race called. "Ready, set, go!"

Almost everyone's drones flew into the air. "You're going down, Chase!" Kaz grinned as he returned with the drone. He placed it on the ground, and activated it.

"Kaz, no!" Chase tried to stop him, but it was too late; the drone was already airborne. Chase stared at it, not moving to start his own drone.

"Why aren't you starting your drone?" Kaz inquired, smirking. "Afraid you're gonna lose?"

"No. I'm afraid because that's one of Mr. Davenport's attack drones." Chase told us, deadly serious. "It's heavily armed and programmed to destroy and threat that moves."

"Oh." Oops. I leaned in close to Kaz. "Did you know that?"

"No, I did not." He sighed. I looked back at Chase.

"Yeah, we didn't know that." I told him. He let out a frustrated noise.

"I cannot believe how stupid you guys can be sometimes." He exclaimed.

"Okay, maybe firing off an attack drone was probably a bad idea." Kaz admitted. "But it's really fast. I think I've got this thing won."

Chase glared at him, then began to pace, locking a cautious gaze on our drone. "Don't worry, Chase. We'll just the controller to land it." I assured him. I looked at Kaz. "Dude, where'd you put the controller?"

"I don't have it. I thought you had it." He responded, confused.

"I don't have it." I replied, equally confused. Kaz looked over at Chase.

"Yeah, we don't have it." He told him. Chase nodded.

"That's because there is no controller. The drone has artificial intelligence." He explained. "It's programmed to shoot down anything that aggravates it."

"Well, that just sounds like poor design." Kaz commented. Chase glared at him, annoyed. "Look, it's not my fault. You said yes to all of my ideas, and then yanked them out when I wasn't looking. I heard it all."

Chase sighed. "Look, I know what you heard, Kaz," he acknowledged, "but after talking to Oliver, I felt really bad. I realized I wasn't being a very good friend, so I left all of your ideas in the drone. I'll show you."

Chase walked around a bush and came out carrying a candy apple red drone with skis, a cardboard smile, a pair of fuzzy dice, and the end of a cannon sticking out of the top. "It's you, La Drona!"

"And the inside?" I questioned suspiciously. "I mean, sure the outside looks like he wanted it, but what about the inside?"

"Everything he asked for." Chase assured us.

"I don't believe you." I grumbled. He grabbed his controller and pressed a button. The cannon at the top of the drone shot out a burst of confetti and mariachi music began to play. Chase raised an eyebrow at me. "That doesn't prove anything."

"She's perfect." Kaz beamed at Kaz. "Thank you, buddy. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"Seriously?" I looked at him, surprised. "You forgive way too easily."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a laser blast firing. We looked into the sky to see one of the drones crashing down towards us. "Incoming!" Kaz shouted as we all ducked. Thankfully, the downed drone didn't hit anyone, but it was close. "Oh yeah, I've definitely got this thing locked up."

"We have to do something." I said, looking at the others.

"The drone has a homing beacon." Chase remembered. "If I tap into it, I can program it to land back at the penthouse veranda." He raised his fingers to his temple. "Let's just hope it doesn't detect a threat between here and there."

 **Calla's POV**

"I can't watch." I murmured, my hands covering my eyes. Despite this, I couldn't help but look through the fingers, watching in a combination of horror and amazement as Perry crossed the tightrope, one shaky step at a time.

"None of the other Perrys have even made it to the other side, and I'm already on my way back."

"Keep it up!" "You're doing great!" Skylar and Dani encouraged her. Suddenly, through the gaps between my fingers, I saw a white drone fly past her, coming far too close for comfort. Its sudden appearance caused Perry to lose her balance, and to our horror, she fell. Thankfully, she managed to grab the rope before she fell to her doom, using her umbrella as a handhold for the other hand.

"Are you okay?" Skylar shouted.

"I-I think so!" Perry called back. "Although my tights might tell a different story!"

 **Oliver's POV**

I watched as Kaz handed the other contestants back their broken drones, our drone having destroyed all of them. "The drone should be landing on the penthouse veranda any minute now. I can track it with my bionic vision." Chase put his fingers to his temple and looked into the horizon, but even from here, we could tell that something was wrong. There was a large, misshapen figure of some sort in the distance, waving its limbs around wildly. "Oh no."

"What is it?" I questioned.

"From here, it looks like an unusual creature thrashing around, like a pterodactyl eating its young." Kaz described. Chase cocked his head, acknowledging Kaz's statement.

"Throw in a brightly colored tutu, and you're not far off." He replied.

 **Bree's POV**

"Don't worry Perry!" Dani called, pulling herself on top of the half-wall that surrounded the veranda. "I'm going to fly up and come and get you!"

Dani leapt into the air, but only managed to stay airborne for a brief moment before the drone blasted her. Thankfully, she was still above the veranda, so when she fell, she landed near us rather than the street below, but when she hit the floor, she hit it hard. "Dani!" Skylar exclaimed, scrambling to her best friend's side.

"I'm okay." The electrokinetic groaned. "But I'm just gonna lie down here for a bit."

"What about me?" Perry screeched.

"It's okay! Bree's gonna come get you!" Calla called. I looked at her. What the hell, Calla? "Oh, don't give me that look. We both know you have better balance than me."

"Shouldn't we wait for real help to arrive?" Perry shouted at us. Annoyed, I pulled off my shoes – going in my socks would make it easier on the tightrope – then climbed up the ladder. Taking a deep breath, and refusing to look anywhere close to down, I stepped out onto the rope, my arms out to keep my balance.

Suddenly, the drone began shooting at me, and I nearly lost my balance. Spinning around, I carefully placed my feet on the tightrope, then jumped upwards when the drone shot at me again. I flipped in the air and landed on the tightrope, my landing terrifyingly unsteady, but a landing all the same.

"A little heavy footed, but not bad for an amateur." Perry complimented.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold it off." I told her, trying to get her to hurry up and climb back onto the rope. The drone came at me again, and this time, while trying to avoid the laser blasts, I lost my own balance. Like Perry, I was able to grab ahold of the tightrope, but I knew that drone would be back any second.

"Is this really how I'm going to go out of this world?" I murmured. I'd always thought I'd either die on a mission to save the world, or by being on the wrong end of one of Adam's pranks. But never did I think I'd die like this.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Perry assured me. I looked at her in surprise, then back at the drone that was racing towards us. Perry released the tightrope with one hand, the other clutching it even tighter, then grabbed her umbrella and threw it as hard as she could at the drone. It hit its target dead center, knocking it out of the sky.

"Nice hit." I complimented. Perry nodded her thanks, then looked down at the ground.

"I guess we wait for one of your flying friends to come save us?" She guessed. I shook my head.

"No. Perry, I know how much this tightrope walk means to you." It must mean a lot, after all she was willing to die for it. "You're going to finish it."

"I can't. I used up all my energy battling that drone." Perry sighed. "You were right. I don't have what it takes to finish."

"Yes, you do." I insisted. I jerked my head at the veranda, only a few feet away. Skylar was out of my sight, probably still checking on Dani, while Calla watched us with wide eyes. "Look how far you've come already. Calla and I got this wrong – you CAN do this, and I'm going to do it with you."

"You're getting creepy again, Brenda." Perry informed me. I rolled my eyes, then began to swing back and forth on the wire. Once I felt I'd gotten enough momentum, I grabbed Perry's hand with one of mine and used my super speed to flip us over the tightrope and eventually, onto it.

"Whoa!" Perry stuck her hands out, maintaining her balance. 'Give a gal a little warning next time before you loop-the-loop her! Something's bubbling up."

Disgusted, I wrinkled my nose. "Let's just get back, okay?"

 **Chase's POV**

"Dani!" Oliver shouted when we walked into the penthouse. His sister was sitting on the ground of the veranda, head in her hand, while Skylar looked over her with concern. "I knew something was wrong."

"What happened?" Kaz rushed forward and helped Dani get to her feet.

"She got blasted by a drone." Skylar explained, frowning when Dani stumbled.

"Look at what I've done." Kaz frowned, looking her over. "Are you alright?"

"Your shirt smells good." Dani murmured, obviously still dazed. She leaned in close to him, a smile on her face. "You washed it, didn't you?"

"Look what I've done." Kaz repeated himself, smiling down at Dani. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you an ice pack and a tofu pop, alright?"

I chuckled as he led her inside, then looked at Calla. "So, what's going on?"

"Perry wanted to walk a tightrope, Bree and I said no, she did it anyway, and then a drone attacked her." My fiancée summarized. She looked at us. "Speaking of which, unless I'm mistaken, wasn't that one of Mr. Davenport's attack drones?"

"He has attack drones?" Oliver played dumb. Calla raised an eyebrow at that, not believing him for a second, but didn't comment on it.

"Okay, just a few more steps." By this point, Bree was standing on the roof, trying to encourage Perry to take the last few steps to safety. The older woman swayed and faltered in her steps, but eventually made it onto the roof.

"Yes!" Skylar smiled, proud of her.

"You did it!" Bree exclaimed, pleased, as they began to climb down the ladder. Once they were back on the veranda, she turned back to Perry. "I'm so sorry for not believing in you."

"You know, your Grandma Gertie would've been really proud of you." Calla added, trying to be supportive. Perry gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean, 'would have'?" She questioned. She laughed. "She fell, but she's still alive; she had a net. You'd have to be crazy to do this without a net. You put up a net, right?"

Bree and Calla exchanged looks. "You know, we should really go check on Dani…" Bree laughed nervously, pushing Calla into the Penthouse with her.

 **Oliver's POV**

A few hours later, after triple checking to make sure Dee was okay and not just lying to get me off her back, I went down to Mission Command to find Chase. I had figured that he would be working on something (Calla had been down here every day this week, obsessed with analyzing the rocks she got from Caldera. She insisted that there was something familiar about their properties, despite the fact that she'd never been to the planet before, and she wanted to figure out what) but to my surprise, he was on the phone.

"No, I'm definitely game. I think it's a great idea." He was saying. He glanced up at me when I walked in, but didn't greet me. "No, really. I'm definitely okay with this, and I'm sure she will be too." He paused, listening. "No problem. Talk to you later."

He hung up, then started working on his laptop. "So, who was that?" I inquired, figuring that small talk would be the easiest way to go about this.

"Mr. Davenport. He wanted my opinion on some of his plans for Davenport Industries." Chase's answer was short, his tone cold. I sighed.

"Look, about earlier…I'm sorry I ratted on you." I apologized.

"You should be." He agreed. I looked at him in exasperation.

"Kaz would have forgiven me by now." I pointed out. Chase gave me a look.

"I could go and stab him in the back, literally, and he'd already have forgiven me." He pointed out. I had to give him that – Kaz was way too chill when it came to forgiveness.

"Look, I only did it because I thought you were trying to steal my best friend." I explained. Chase sighed.

"I wasn't." He insisted. "I mean, I know that ever since I gave up on being mission leader, everybody wants to hang out with me because I'm super fun…"

"Well, I wouldn't say super fun." I told him.

"Okay, maybe just fun." He relented. I grimaced, knowing it wasn't the word I would use. "Fun-ish."

"Alright." I agreed.

"But just because I hang out with him, doesn't mean I'm trying to steal him from you." Chase finished. I sighed.

"I know." I agreed. "It's just…with Skylar and Dani spending so much time with Calla and Bree, it just sometimes feels like I'm losing my best friends."

"Sometimes friends will hang out with other people. It's just because they have a lot in common." Chase shrugged. "Look, you and I have more in common than anyone else in the house. We should be friends. Can we put all of this stuff behind us and start over?"

"Definitely." I agreed, just as my stomach grumbled. It was already eight, and none of us had eaten any dinner yet. "Wanna grab some food?"

"I have plans with Dani, Kaz, and Skylar." Chase replied apologetically. I chuckled.

"Good one." I replied. Chase gave me a confused look as the hyperlift doors opened.

"Ready, man?" Kaz questioned. I watched, disappointed, as Chase walked into the hyperlift and flew up to the main floor. Oh, so it wasn't a joke. Guess they were all going out without me. Well, this sucked. Maybe there were some leftovers I could reheat…

A minute later, the hyperlift doors opened again, and Skylar poked her head out. "Hey, you coming to dinner with us?" She requested. I grinned.

"Absolutely." I agreed, grabbing her hand and following her into the hyperlift.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, what did you guys think? Good, bad? In between? Seriously, review! Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **April 24** **th** **: They Grow Up So Fast**

 **May 1** **st** **: The Attack**

 **May 8** **th** **: Against the Odds**

 **May 15** **th** **: I Do**

 **I'll see you guys next week then! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	15. They Grow Up So Fast

**Kihonne: Hey guys, so I finished this week's chapter early, and thought you'd all like an early update. Plus, it'll give me more time to work on the Attack and Against the Odds! So seriously guys, if you aren't excited yet, get pumped, because this is going to be an awesome chapter! But before we move onto that, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm really glad you liked it, especially those lines. My favorite of the two is the one about Perry. And the wedding is only a few chapters away! I'm personally very excited, especially for the ending ;) As for all everyone on the Academy…well, you might be catching with a couple of them sooner than you think. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm glad you liked it, and here's another one.**

 **EliteForce12: I know, right? It hit me a few chapters ago that I'm almost done writing based off the episodes, and I have to say, it's bittersweet because on one hand, there's no more canon stuff to use, but on the other, I can start on plots that I doubt the series ever would have touched. But season 2 is going to be really exciting – I've got some major plots I want to introduce, and so many surprises to unveil. The wedding chapter is going to be really fun too, and I can't wait to see everyone from the Academy again. Though, you might see some a little sooner than that. I hope you like the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I know, right? It's crazy how fast time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that I was starting the Lab Assistant. I'm really glad you liked the chapter, and I'm currently plotting out Jaden's proposal (though, not entirely sure how I'm going to beat Chase's). I think you're really going to like I Do, not just for the actual wedding, but for everything else I have in store in the chapter. But as for old friends, you might see some a little sooner than you think ;) I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I know you're going to like this one.**

 **Algernon23: I'm glad you liked the chapter! The wedding chapter is going to be really fun, I think, but if you're excited about catching up with our old friends from the Academy, you won't have to wait nearly that long. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **IAMAGUEST: Yay, you're back! I Do is going to be an awesome chapter. I'm excited to write it, and I'm really for you guys to see it. As for Chase's phone call, it actually has nothing to do with the wedding. You'll actually get more details on that phone call this chapter, so keep reading. Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla: I'm really glad you enjoy the story so much! You're going to love what I have planned for the next few chapters. I do intend on giving the series a better finale, and I will wrap up the cliffhanger in the PERFECT way. Believe me, I know exactly how to wrap it up in a way that I know you guys are going to love. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I really think you're going to like this one too.**

 **SzymonS: I think Perry's okay. Funny, absolutely, but for me, it's just not enough to keep me entertained. That being said, I will to have her in a few more original chapters, since I know there's a number of people who do like her. As for the Calderan stones, she is absolutely going to do something with them. They will be a very important plot device at one point, so keep them in mind. And yes, we're nearly at the end. Season only has three chapters left (The Attack, plus two original chapters), so I hope you like what I've done with what's left. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Kingdom Hearts Slayer: I will. Please enjoy!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Tasha: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. Kihonne only owns her Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Chase's POV**

"Well, congratulations guys. That was our tenth mission this week." I announced. We'd just returned from helping to clean up an eight-car pileup on the highway. Kaz, Oliver, and Dani slumped onto the couch, exhausted.

"Only ten? It feels more like a hundred." Dani complained, curling up on her side so that she could lean her head on Kaz's shoulder. "Everything hurts."

"My whole body is sore too." Kaz agreed.

"Me too." Oliver agreed.

"You guys haven't even had your powers for that long, and you're already complaining?" Skylar shook her head. "Pathetic."

"Yeah," Bree agreed, sitting down on the seat opposite of them. "I've been running hundreds of miles an hour since I could walk. Don't you talk to me about sore until you have bionic blisters."

To prove her point, Bree took off her boot and peeled off her sock, showing Dani and the boys her blisters. Although I couldn't see them – thankfully – the three visibly recoiled at the sight of them. "Rookies." Bree smirked before limping upstairs to deal with them.

"If you guys feel this bad now, I wonder how bad it's going to be when you're older." Calla commented, unzipping her mission suit jacket and taking Bree's spot on the blue chair.

"I don't know. But I have this app that ages photos." Kaz pulled his phone out of his pocket, then snapped a picture of Oliver. He showed it to us after the app had done its work. "This is Oliver at eighty."

I'm not going to lie – it was Oliver's best look. "Cute mustache." Skylar offered, looking at the tiny hairs underneath Oliver's nose in the photo.

"Actually, I think those are nose hairs." Dani corrected, craning her neck to get a better glimpse at the photo.

"Eww." Skylar's nose turned upward in disgust. I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you all so freaked out about growing older, anyway?" I questioned. "It's just a part of life. Personally, I'm looking forward to aging gracefully."

"Oh, really?" Kaz took a picture of me and held it up for me to see. "This is you."

Okay, so I looked old. Really old, with a receding hair line, too many wrinkles, and ear hair. But I had to admit, for an eighty-year-old, it could be much worse. 'Big deal. Everyone looks like that when they're eighty."

Kaz smiled deviously. "This is you at forty."

"What?" I demanded, snatching the phone away from him. No way could this be me at forty. But when I checked the settings, it indeed said forty. "No!"

"Yes." Kaz's smile grew. I glared at him, then dropped the phone to the ground and stepped on it.

"You're going to need a new phone, because this one just broke." I told him before stalking downstairs. I couldn't look like that at forty! I had to figure out a way to stop this!

 **Bree's POV**

"Wow." Skylar, Calla, and I watched as Kaz and the twins piled ice pack after ice pack on themselves.

"Just so you know, nothing about this picture says 'superhero'." Skylar commented.

"It's kinda pathetic." I agreed before turning back to Calla. "Okay, so bachelorette party. You got any requests?"

"Yes, nothing too crazy, nothing too weird." Calla said right off the bat. "And I don't want it to be the night before the wedding, either. I don't want to say my vows hungover."

"Ooh, Calla, a little underage drinking?" I teased. Calla rolled her eyes. "What about location?"

"What about it?" Skylar questioned.

"Well, are my plans limited to the US?" I questioned. Calla looked at me, bemused, and I gestured at Dani and Skylar, the youngest in our party. "Drinking age is 18 in Quebec."

"Ah, got it." Calla nodded. She thought about it. "Fine, but get a hotel room ahead of time."

"Done." I grinned. Suddenly, Calla's phone vibrated. She picked it up and checked the text, frowning. "What's up?"

"Surprise?" She read, confused. Before I could comment on it, the doorbell rang. She looked at the door, then back at her phone. "No…" She murmured in disbelief, getting up and heading for the door. She opened it a bit, then laughed in shock. "No!"

She stepped back and in walked my older brother, Adam. "Who missed me?" He shouted, grinning ear to ear as he tossed a duffle bag onto the ground near the couch.

"I don't even know who you are." Dani replied, even as I ran up to hug Adam. Behind him Leo, Mr. Davenport, and Tasha walked in, the latter carrying the youngest of my siblings, little baby Naomi.

"Hello Dooley." Calla greeted Leo. He smirked.

"Hello Parker." He replied before pulling her into a hug. When she pulled a way, she had a quizzical look on her face.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me you were coming to town?" She questioned.

"Wanted it to be a surprise." He answered as if it should have been obvious, just as the hyperlift doors opened. Chase walked out, then stopped in surprise. "Hey, man."

"What are you guys doing here?" Chase smiled, fist bumping both Adam and Leo.

"I have an announcement to make." Mr. Davenport explained. "But I think it can wait until dinner."

"Okay, cool." We all shrugged. He was probably announced a new invention or something. Or maybe he was moving the family out here, or rebuilding Davenportia. Something like that.

"And I thought you'd like to see Naomi." Tasha added. I grinned and walked over to her and my baby sister, cooing when I saw her adorable face.

"Oh my God, she's beautiful." Calla cooed. Soon, Skylar, Calla, and I were all surrounded Tasha and Naomi, cooing and making baby noises at the infant. Chase had gone into the kitchen for a moment to see if there was any coffee left, while Kaz and the twins remained on the couch.

"Thank you for not being baby crazy." Kaz told Dani.

"Oh, I am. I just can't move." She replied, wincing.

"I just love them when they're this small. They're so cute." I commented, beaming when Naomi grabbed at my pinky finger, clutching it with her tiny hand.

"Too bad it won't last." Chase sighed. "It's only a matter of time before she looks like a wrinkly, old, hairless goblin."

Everyone turned to stare at him, even as he headed back down into Mission Command, the coffee pot in hand. "Well, he's just as weird as ever." Adam declared. "I'm gonna go bug him."

"Yeah, I should probably go figure out why he was down there all night anyway." Calla agreed following Adam and Leo into the hyperlift.

"So, kids," Tasha looked at us, "since everyone seems to be doing their own thing, Donald and I were going to go out, take a little bit of a break."

"Have fun?" Dani commented, unsure of why they were informing us.

"A bit of a break without Naomi." Mr. Davenport clarified.

"You want a babysitter." Skylar realized.

"I'd really appreciate it." Tasha added, smiling hopefully. Dani, Kaz, and Oliver all looked at each other.

"Not it." They declared before limping down to Mission Command.

"I'll do it." Skylar offered before I could.

"Uh, no, it's okay. I'll do it." I reassured her. I hadn't really seen Naomi since the night she was born – Kieran and Rio had shown up in the middle of the night to geoleap Chase and I back to Mission Creek for it – and I'd always wanted a little sister to spend time with. "I'm her big sister, after all."

"Thank you, Bree." Tasha smiled at me as I reached for Naomi. But almost as soon as Tasha had settled her properly in my arms, Naomi began to whimper, then cry loudly.

"That's odd. She hardly ever cries." Mr. Davenport frowned, stepping closer to make sure nothing was wrong with her.

"Here, let me try." Skylar offered, taking Naomi from me. The baby stopped crying and stared up at Skylar.

"That's odd. She almost never takes to strangers." Tasha commented. "It took her almost a month to get used to Adam holding her."

"Probably because he smells like a dirty diaper." I commented. Tasha and Mr. Davenport nodded, acknowledging that I was right. "And she's not taking to strangers; she's just frightened into silence by her three alien heartbeats."

I reached for Naomi and Skylar gave her up without a fight. Again, my little sister started to wail. "Uh, she's crying again." Skylar pointed out.

"I can see that she's crying!" I snapped as I bounced Naomi gently, trying desperately to soothe her. What was I doing wrong? "She's a baby. It's what they do."

"You know, we really don't need to go out." Tasha commented, looking at Mr. Davenport. I looked at her, hurt.

"No, honey. We both need the break, and I've already made lunch plans for us." He told her. He glanced at us. "And I'm sure that Bree can handle her."

"Yeah, don't you trust me?" I questioned. Tasha sighed.

"Of course I do, Bree." She promised. She grabbed her purse from her overnight bag as Mr. Davenport went to open the door for her. Tasha hesitated in the entrance. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes, go." I hurried her, wanting to prove myself. She nodded.

"Okay, just…feel free to ask the alien girl for help." She told her before heading out the door. Mr. Davenport gave me a stern look.

"If you screw this up, we're all in trouble." He told me seriously. I nodded and he followed his wife out of the room. Meanwhile, Naomi began to cry louder.

"Hush, hush…" I murmured her to her, hoping I could somehow figure out how to make this work.

 **Chase's POV**

"So, you didn't come to bed last night." Calla declared as she, Adam, Leo, Kaz, and the twins arrived in Mission Command. I looked over at the bowl of fruit and the formula I'd been working on.

"I know. I've been up all night splitting molecules and splicing DNA." I explained. "I' trying to create a device to reverse the aging process."

"Wow, Chase. Only you could make the phrase 'up all night' sound boring." Adam commented. I sent him a look – figures, he's here for less than twenty minutes and he's already teasing me.

"So, have you figured it out? How to reverse it?" Dani inquired, sitting behind the consol on the other side of the room, along with Leo.

"No!" I exclaimed, frustrated. "So far I've only figured out how to speed it up."

"How far did you go?" Oliver questioned.

"You're looking a little rough." Kaz agreed.

"I didn't use it on me!" I snapped.

"Yeah, man, that haggard face is all natural." Adam added. I ignored him, and addressed Calla and Leo, the two I knew would actually be interested in this.

"Watch. This is my problem." I picked an apple out of the bowl. "Right now, it's a perfectly ripe apple." I grabbed my device off the counter, aiming it at the apple, and pressed a button. A beam of light shone down on the apple, and it began to wrinkle and shrink until it was just a brown, button-shaped piece. "And now it's been aged 12 years."

"Hey, I like dried fruit. Maybe it gets better with age." Kaz picked it up before I could stop him, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed on it for a moment, then let out a pained chuckle. "Yeah…it doesn't."

 **Bree's POV**

I gently bounced Naomi, wincing as her crying grew even louder. "Please, please stop crying." I murmured, trying to think. Suddenly, I had an idea. "Uh, what about a nursery rhyme? All babies like nursery rhymes, right?"

I thought hard, trying to remember any nursery rhymes. But the only thing I could remember was Davenport reading to us from old battery manuals. "Um, nursery rhyme, nursery rhyme," I sang softly, improvising. "This is a nursery rhyme."

"Wow, you're good." Skylar commented sarcastically, watching us from her spot on the couch.

"Hey, I grew up in a basement!" I snapped defensively. "The only nursery rhyme I know is the buzz of a nuclear generator."

"Yeah? Well, I was raised by a blob of lava that didn't have a mouth, and even I know 'twinkle, twinkle, little star." She replied.

"Always gotta plat the alien card, don't you?" I grumbled, unable to come up with a better retort. Naomi began to cry even harder.

"She seems really upset." Skylar observed. "Maybe I should hold her."

"No!" I said quickly, but my sudden outburst startled Naomi and upset her further. Skylar gave me a skeptical look.

"Fine. I guess you got this." She eventually decided. "I'm going to go get a head start on the grocery shopping. Call me if you need me."

"Thanks, but I won't." I assured her. She shrugged, grabbed her purse, and walked out the door. I looked back at Naomi and gave her a big smile. "Alright. It's just you and me now, baby girl."

She continued to whimper. I thought hard – I'd tried rocking her, bouncing her, and I'd even changed her diaper twice. "Oh! Maybe you're hungry." Holding her to my chest with one arm, I used the other to dig through the bag Tasha had left behind, and pulled out a small, Tupperware container. "Let's see what you've got here. It's everybody's favorite…" I trailed off, actually seeing what was inside the container. "Mushy green stuff."

I shrugged, grabbed a tiny spoon from the bag, and unsealed the container. "Well, at least I don't have to touch it." I commented, getting a spoonful of the stuff. I held it up to Naomi. "Here you go, sweetie." I told her, feeding her the baby food. She ate it happily and smiled at me. For a moment, I thought I might have solved the problem…only for her to spit up all over my shirt seconds later. "Naomi!" I protested, disgusted. I sighed. "I guess you're not that hungry."

I grimaced in disgust, using a baby wipe to try and clean off some of the puke. "Um, okay," I hastened to figure out a plan to deal with this. "Why don't I set you over there with your toys while I get cleaned up, okay?"

Her response was to spit up again, this time managing to get both my shirt and my neck before beginning to cry again. I gagged, overwhelmed with disgust. "Okay, that time you were clearly aiming for my face!"

Sighing, I placed Naomi on her blanket, surrounded by her toys, and she stopped crying. Shaking my head, I then went to kitchen. Wetting a rag, I began to clean as much of the puke off me. I thought back to what Skylar had said earlier, about the nursery rhymes. "Twinkle, twinkle little star…" I sang under my breath, but I was unable to come up with the other words. "Yeah, I don't know it."

I took another couple of minutes to clean up, then headed back to the living room to try again with Naomi. But she was nowhere to be found.

"Naomi!" I shouted, staring in shock at the empty blanket.

 **Chase's POV**

"Wait, back up." Kaz managed through the chuckles. Adam and Leo were catching us all up to speed on what we'd missed at the Academy. "You won him in a poker game? Like, you actually won him?"

"Yep." Leo grinned proudly. "And now Logan is my slave."

"We never should have left." Calla commented, shaking her head in amusement, just as the hyperlift doors opened. But instead of Bree, Mr. Davenport, Skylar, or Tasha, it was Naomi that came out, crawling on all fours.

"No!" Oliver protested, leaping behind Kaz and Dani for protection. We all looked at him, confused.

"He has a thing about babies." Dani explained.

"They don't have kneecaps! It's unnatural!" Oliver shouted, panicked.

"Well, I see Bree's doing a wonderful job babysitting." Calla commented dryly as Naomi crawled towards us. "I mean, it took her, what, sixteen, minutes to lose the baby?"

"It took me at least eighteen." Adam commented, shaking his head.

"Chase, you mind picking her up before she gets into all of that?" Dani suggested. Chase looked at her, confused.

"I don't know anything about babies! You do it!" He protested. She stared at him, genuinely aghast.

"Are you kidding? I'll drop it." She stated, completely serious.

"Pathetic." Calla muttered, walking over and scooping Naomi up in her arms. The baby cooed happily in her arms, her tiny hands grabbing at her necklace. "No, Naomi. No necklace for you."

"Let me see her." Kaz offered, reaching for Naomi. Calla went to hand her off to him, but the moment he touched her, he jumped back, confused.

"It's squishy!" He exclaimed, surprised, as he stumbled backwards into the consol, knocking the entire bowl of fruit off the table.

"Kaz!" Calla and I scolded at the same time. I bent down to pick the fruit up. Calla placed Naomi back on the ground.

"I'll help." She offered, grabbing an apple before it could roll away. We quickly recovered most of the fruit.

"I can't find the mangoes." I announced. Dani, Kaz, Adam, Leo, and Oliver all began to look for them.

"Found it." Kaz called a moment later, walking over and handing it to me. Calla dropped all of her fruit on the consol.

"Hey, where's the aging device?" She questioned. We all looked around.

"Aw, look!" Adam laughed suddenly, pointing near the consol. "She thinks it's a toy!"

"Shit!" Calla swore, dropping to the ground in hopes of snatching the device away from Naomi. But it was too late; before any of us could reach, Naomi but the device in her mouth, accidently pressing a button. The infant was covered in a bright blue light, then began to grow until she was about 5 and a half feet tall, and about 12 years old.

We all stared at her, eyes wide. After a moment, Oliver spoke up. "See? Kneecaps." He whispered to his sister.

"Whoa! What happened?" Naomi gasped, her vocabulary also having been aged 12 years.

"Aw, her first words." Adam joked just as the hyperlift opened up. Bree stepped out, a panicked look on her face.

"Hey, have you guys seen Naomi?" She demanded.

"I'm Naomi!" Naomi offered, grinning widely. Bree's eyes went as wide as saucers, staring at her.

"NAOMI?!" She demanded.

"I'm a big girl now!" The former infant exclaimed happily. Bree turned to stare at Calla and I.

"What is going on? Did you let her play with one of your little nerd toys?" She demanded. I looked at her, offended. As if I would purposely let a kid play with some dangerous tech.

"No!" I snapped. "She wandered down here and got a hold of one of my little nerd toys."

Bree sighed. "She must have crawled into the hyperlift while I was cleaning up." She realized. Leo put his arm around her shoulder.

"So, what I'm hearing is that this is your fault." He smirked. She pushed him away from her, annoyed.

"Turn her back right now." Bree ordered, looking at me.

"Don't know how." I explained. "I haven't been able to crack age reversal yet, but if you're looking for bumpy veins and liver spots, I'm your man."

"Well, you need to help, because Tasha and Mr. Davenport are going to be back any minute, and I promised them that I would do a good job taking care of Naomi!" Bree explained, beginning to panic once more.

"Well, I think you did a great job." Dani offered, smirking. "I mean, in a short couple of hours, you managed to raise a polite, well-adjusted teenager."

Bree turned to glare at the electrokinetic just as Skylar walked into mission command. "Hey guys." She greeted, smiling. She paused when she saw Naomi, a confused look crossing her face. "Who is this?"

"Naomi." Kaz explained, chuckling. "She crawled away while Bree was babysitting, and now she's a big, goofy teenager."

Skylar shook her head in exasperation. "Wow, Bree, you are really not good at taking care of kids."

 **Bree's POV**

"Okay, here we go." I zipped up the hoodie that I'd wrapped around Naomi. "That should keep you warm."

Naomi beamed, hugging herself happily. "Look at that; your hoodie fits you perfectly." Skylar chuckled, amused.

"Ooh! Toys!" Naomi gasped, running over to the table and grabbing one of the large, decorative spheres.

"Naomi, no!" I exclaimed, trying to pull it away from her before she could put it in her mouth. Even with Skylar pulling as well, it was difficult to get Naomi to budge.

"That's mine!" She shouted indigently. Just then, the front door opened and Mr. Davenport and Tasha walked in.

"Hey! You're back!" I exclaimed, forcing a fake smile on my face and stepping in front of Naomi to hide her from view. I mean, I knew I wouldn't really be able to hide her – I wasn't stupid – but maybe if I could obstruct their view of her, they might think it was Calla or Dani. I mean, aside from her height, hair, darker skin color, eyes, and facial shape, she looked just like them, right? Yeah…this wasn't going to work.

"Hey girls. Who's your friend?" Mr. Davenport inquired, taking Tasha's jacket and placing it on the coat hanger.

"What friend?" I tried playing dumb.

"Hi!" Naomi waved her hands friendlily. "Hi!"

"Oh, that friend. This is…Jenny." I said the first name that came to mind. "Her name is Jenny!"

Naomi ran past us and tackle-hugged Tasha, then Mr. Davenport. "Mama! Da-da!"

"She's weird." Skylar supplied, in way of explanation.

"I can tell." Mr. Davenport replied, peeling Naomi off of him.

"So, how did it go with Naomi?"

"Great. Perfect." I lied nervously. "Awesome."

"Yeah, I think all the time she spent with Bree really made her grow as a person." Skylar commented. I elbowed her, not at all pleased with her little joke.

"So, where is our little girl?" Mr. Davenport questioned, a little suspicious.

"Down in mission command." Skylar lied. "With the boys."

"She was just so adorable that they couldn't resist babysitting her." I added, watching as Naomi played with a set of keys that were sitting on the counter. I just hoped that she wouldn't try to eat them. "She's just so darn cute."

"Maybe I should go check on her…" Tasha commented thoughtfully.

"No!" I exclaimed quickly. Both she and Davenport looked at me sharply. "I mean, you guys have been working so hard at taking care of her – let the boys take over for a bit. You guys should sit down and relax."

"Yeah." Skylar nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Naomi had found a soccer ball – Dani's, probably – sitting under the kitchen table. She began to play with it, throwing it up in the air and giggling happily.

"Is she okay?" Tasha questioned.

"Yeah…she's fine. She's just a bit of a kook." I replied. "When she gets bored she starts tossing things up in the air and…" I gulped, noticing that the keys were now missing. "…eating keys. I'm going to bring her downstairs, while you guys…uh, get to know Skylar."

"What? No! Don't leave me with them!" Skylar protested. Both Tasha and Mr. Davenport looked at her, disappointed. "I mean, because that would be so selfish! You and Bree should catch up."

"Please, we're fine. We talk all the time." I insisted. Davenport and Tasha looked at me like I was crazy.

"Every time I call, you pretend to be Kaz and then hang up on me." "You won't even give me your phone number." They pointed out.

"I'll give you Bree's number." Skylar offered. "But I don't know it by heart. It's in my phone though. It's downstairs. Jenny and I will go get it."

Skylar sped over to Naomi, grabbed her hands, then sped down to Mission Command, leaving me alone with my parents. "Well, that was rude." I commented. "Almost as rude as this."

I sped down to Mission Command before they could ask me any more questions. "Please tell me it's going well down here." I begged the others when I reached their floor.

"I could, but that would be a tremendous lie." Leo told me.

"Adam keeps eating the testing fruit." Calla explained, slapping my brother's hands away from the banana she and Chase were experimenting on.

"Okay, well, Tasha and Mr. Davenport are getting suspicious." I told them. I turned to Dani, Kaz, and Oliver. "You guys need to go upstairs and stall them."

"Why us?" Kaz protested.

"Because you guys are the kings and queen of meaningless conversation." I reasoned. Dani shrugged.

"Well, she's not wrong." Dani replied, shrugging. The three of them headed upstairs.

"Hey, I think I got it." Chase said suddenly. Calla leaned over and looked at the formula he inputted into the aging device.

"Yeah, that looks like it could work." She agreed. "What did you do?"

"Well, I figured, by tightening the telomeres to the DNA before the cell divided itself-" Chase began to explain, but I didn't have time for that.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. No one cares!" Adam told him. Chase looked at him, annoyed before turning the device to point at Naomi.

"Here we go." Chase announced, pressing a button. Like earlier, Naomi was bathed in a blue light.

"It's working." I sighed in relief when I saw that she was shrinking. But when the light faded, and her boy was back to the size and shape of a toddler, I realized one horrible thing – the device had not affected her head at all. It was still the head of a twelve-year-old.

"Eugh." Leo grimaced, eyes wide. We all stared at her, shocked.

"Uh, I didn't get a great look at her before. Is she supposed to look like that?" Chase questioned. I turned on him and Calla.

"I thought you said it would work!" I exclaimed.

"I said it _could_ work." Calla corrected. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Hey, it's Chase's device."

"Thanks." Chase rolled his eyes. "I don't know how it could have happened. I should have tested it on more fruit." He turned to try it on a piece of fruit, but it was all gone. "Where's my fruit?"

Looking over, I saw Adam and Skylar both hastily swallowing what was left of their bananas. "Oops." My older brother said with a full mouth.

"Seriously?" Calla demanded, exasperated.

"Sorry." Skylar apologized, wiping her mouth. I turned to Calla and Chase.

"Fix this." I ordered.

"Okay, chill. Why don't we grab some more fruit and more equipment, and see what we can do." Calla suggested.

"Calla and I can make a trip to the grocery store." Leo offered, pitching it.

"You can handle the equipment on your own?" Calla questioned Chase, grabbing her purse.

"Skylar and Adam are going to help me." He told her. She nodded and left with Leo, taking a short cut through the tunnels.

"Why us?" Skylar protested.

"But you ate my banana!" Chase snapped, obviously annoyed.

 **Chase's POV**

"Okay, your mom scares me." Dani told Leo, walking into Mission Command. In the past twenty minutes, he, along with Calla and Chase, had managed to get Naomi back to twelve-year-old form, but not back to a baby.

"Where is Tasha and Mr. Davenport?" Skylar questioned.

"Well, they were insisting that something was up, so Ollie and Kaz took them flying around the city…against their will." She explained.

"Is that safe?" Leo questioned skeptically. Dani nodded.

"Ollie almost never drops anyone." She assured him.

"Well, she's back to normal." I announced as I finished measuring Naomi's head. Bree stared at me.

"Normal?" She repeated. "Chase, she's a baby trapped in a twelve-year-old's body! That ain't normal!"

"Well, on my planet-" Skylar began, only for Bree to spin around and cut her off.

"You aren't helping!" She retorted, silencing the alien girl.

"I want my mama." Naomi whimpered, frowning. Bree sighed and walked over to the girl, placing her hands on our sister's shoulders.

"Naomi, I am so sorry." She apologized sincerely. "This whole thing is my fault. I just wanted to spend time with you and prove that I could be a good big sister, not just to your parents, but to myself. I wanted you to look up to me. But now that this whole thing happened, you probably think I am the worst sister ever."

"I think that." Adam spoke up, only to get slapped upside the head by both Calla and Skylar.

"Those are a lot of words." Naomi told Bree, eyes wide. My sister, the older one, sighed.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're just a baby." She murmured. Naomi smiled at her.

"You're nice." She told Bree, before hugging her tightly. Bree smiled and hugged her back.

"Hey," Calla murmured, grabbing my attention once more. "What if we do this?"

She held up the formula on the device. "Maybe, but I think we should tweak this."

I began to work on Calla's formula, because, while it was much closer to the solution than anything I'd come up with earlier, she hadn't taken into account the fact that we needed Naomi to de-age to a specific age. The current formula would just made her de-age until the battery ran out in the device.

Meanwhile, the doors to mission command opened up, and Mr. Davenport and Tasha walked in, neither looking too happy, with Kaz and Oliver trailing behind them. "What is going on?" Mr. Davenport demanded, annoyed.

"Da-da!" Naomi squealed happily.

"Stay!" Dani snapped, forcing Naomi to sit.

Bree looked at us nervously, then sighed. "Look, Tasha, Mr. Davenport, after you left, I turned my back on Naomi for, like, two seconds-"

"We found the fix!" I exclaimed, grinning when the formula was correct. Everyone looked at me.

"For one of our nerdy science things. Carry on." Calla assured the others, giving Bree a pointed look. Mr. Davenport crossed his arms and looked at Bree.

"You were saying?" He questioned suspiciously. "You turned your back on Naomi for two seconds and…"

"And-and when I turned back, she looked so cute," Bree lied, "I just have to take a picture. Let me show you."

She pulled out her phone and pulled their attention away from the rest of us. I sprung into action, quickly turning the device on Naomi while Skylar, Calla, Adam, Kaz, Oliver, and Leo stepped between us and them, keeping their view obstructed in case Mr. Davenport or Tasha looked over.

"That's not it, that's not it. I don't even know what that is." Bree said loudly as she swiped through her photo album.

"You have a lot of pictures of Jaden on here." Mr. Davenport observed. Thankfully, this time, when the device finished its work, Naomi was back to her normal age, including her head.

"A lot." Tasha agreed. "Honey, I think we should talk."

"Hey." Leo pulled Naomi into his arms and walked over to Mr. Davenport and Tasha. "Why look a picture of Naomi when you can just look at the real thing?"

"There you are, sweetie." Tasha took Naomi from Leo, smiling down at her baby girl. "I was starting to think something had happened to you."

"I'm still not entirely convinced something didn't happen." Mr. Davenport added, looking pointedly at us. We all made sure to give him our best 'who, me?' smiles.

"What? Nothing happened." Bree lied.

"Yeah." Adam agreed. "It's not like we turned her into a twelve year old or something! Oof!" He groaned when Bree elbowed him really hard in the gut.

"What an oddly specific joke." Dani smiled brightly. Tasha frowned as she adjusted her grip on Naomi.

"That's odd." She frowned. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you got bigger since I left."

"No way, that's impossible." Calla commented, even as she covered Adam's mouth to prevent him from saying anything stupid.

"That's crazy." "No way." Oliver and Skylar chimed in helpfully.

"She might have." Kaz admitted. Bree glared at him, shutting him up.

 **Bree's POV**

"This is awesome, Mom." Leo commented, digging into his meal. Tasha had insisted on cooking dinner, and had gone all out. From the juicy burgers (including a black bean patty for Dani) to the mashed potatoes and the corn, it was obvious that she was trying to make an event out of this.

"Seriously, Tasha, you're a pretty good cook." Oliver added. Tasha beamed at the two.

"Well, it's nice to be appreciated." She replied. "And its especially nice to not have an annoying AI insulting your food every other minute."

"Ah, Eddy." I smiled. I had to admit – I almost missed his snarkiness. Almost.

"So, what is this announcement you wanted to make?" Adam asked eagerly.

"Wait, you guys don't know?" Kaz questioned, surprised. Leo shook his head.

"No." He replied. Mr. Davenport glanced at Tasha, then stood up.

"Alright, so as a few of you know, it's been a big year for me, between Naomi," he smiled down at his daughter fondly, "and some of the big things happening at Davenport Industries. It's been particularly busy, and I haven't had nearly as much time to devote to either of them. So, I've decided to go into early retirement."

"Early retirement?" Dani questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you, like, eighty?"

"No!" Mr. Davenport shook his head at her, mildly offended.

"Oh. I guess I lost that bet." She slipped Kaz a twenty, who pocketed it with a smirk.

"You're seriously going to retire?" I asked. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"You guys have all pointed out the…mistakes I made when I raised you guys, and I wanted to try again with Naomi. I've got more than enough money to retire on, and this way I can give her my full attention." He explained.

"Aw, that's sweet." Skylar smiled. Tasha scoffed.

"Please. He's doing it so he can work on his own inventions all day rather than actual work." She commented. Yeah, that made sense.

"So, when do you leave?" Leo asked. "And when do I take over?"

Mr. Davenport chuckled. "I'll be leaving the company next summer…and Calla is going to succeed me."

Having not expected the conversation to go in that direction, Calla choked on her drink. Coughing harshly, she looked at Mr. Davenport, confused. "W-What?"

"I want you to take over the company when I leave. I want Davenport Industries to stay in the family, and as your and Chase's wedding is in a few weeks, that makes you family. And no one cares about the tech more than you." He clarified. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, what? Seriously?" She stared. "Me?" He nodded, a little bemused by her reaction. "Seriously?"

"You didn't know?" Kaz guessed, amused. She shook her head.

"Oh my God, no, but…" It figures; Calla could wrap her head around bionics, aliens, and even superheroes, but not this. "What about Chase? I figured when you retired, you'd leave it to him."

"I don't want it." Chase assured her. "I want to go into politics, and I don't want to be worrying about running a business and an election campaign at the same time. I want to run the country one day, and running a country and running a business are two very different things. Besides, it's not exactly a secret that you want to run a company like Davenport Industries."

"Yeah, but-seriously?" By this point, Calla's confusion was absolutely hilarious.

"Dude, just say yes." Kaz told her.

"Yes?" Calla looked back at Davenport, then managed to regain her composure. "I mean, thank you, sir. I'd be honored to succeed you."

"There's a couple of conditions. One, if you're going to stay a part of the team, that's great, but I think you should find a personal assistant to help you out if that's the case. And two, try and keep Leo involved, would you?" He smirked at Leo. "We'll never hear the end of it if you don't."

"Agreed." Calla nodded. She looked at Leo. "I have a few ideas of what he can do."

"If you make me a janitor, I will sabotage your wedding." He threatened. We all laughed at that, amused.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Okay, wasn't sure exactly how to wrap up that scene, but what did you guys think of the chapter? I figured a little family reunion was just what everyone needed before we get into The Attack. Speaking of which, this is the update schedule for the next little bit:**

 **May 1** **st** **: The Attack**

 **May 8** **th** **: Against the Odds**

 **May 15** **th** **: I Do**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, I'll see you all next week! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	16. The Attack

**Kihonne: We're finally here. We're finally at the last of the canon episodes, The Attack. Now, I know a lot of you have been waiting for this, so I don't want to waste much of your time, so let's move onto shoutouts, shall we?**

 **Xxx**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm really glad you liked it! I hope you like this chapter just as much!**

 **LabGirl2001: Oh, he knew alright. I figured, even if he was totally okay with Calla getting the company, it would be pretty presumptuous of Davenport not to at least talk to him about it. This chapter is going to be fun, especially the twist I put on the Reese thing, so I think you're really going to like this chapter, and the next one too.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I knew it would catch a lot of people off guard, but I needed to do it so I could set up a few different plots for the future. As for her assistant…well, you'll just have to read to find out. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Emo Superbionics: Well, I'm really glad it was such a pleasant surprise. As for your guess…you're going to have to read to find out if you're right or not. Thank you so much for the compliments, I'm really happy that you love the story so much, and please enjoy the next chapter.**

 **EliteForce12: I'm glad you liked it. I hope it was a pleasant surprise – I needed her to take over to work a couple of plots into the series, and I thought it worked well with another surprise you're all going to get to see soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: I'm really glad you're excited for season 2. As for Davenport, to them, he is old. A lot of kids make jokes about their parents' ages. And I wouldn't call him young myself – he is in his late forties, after all. And yes, Calla's gonna be taking over the company. I'm glad you liked the reunion, and I promise that Leo and Adam will be in at least two more chapters. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **NightAngel365: Believe me, I get how busy things can get. I think the finals went well, and I'm glad you liked the last few chapters, especially the last one. And I think we're all happy for Calla (sorry, I've heard of True Jackson VP, but I never watched it). We're actually going to get a glimpse of a lot of the people's future careers. Obviously, there's going to be Calla running Davenport Industries, and I'm going to spotlight a couple of other careers in the near-ish future. I'd been hoping for Elite Force to bring the boys back too – it broke my heart that they were never in the series. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm really glad you liked the chapter so much! I thought we needed a little Adam and Leo in there. And yeah, it was a big surprise for everyone. I felt like it made sense to have her take it over – though, I admit, I did originally have plans for her and Leo to open something together – because I didn't want to cut Davenport Industries out, and I didn't want to have her company competing with Davenport's either. Yes, this is the last episode-chapter, then we have the second part, Against the Odds, and the long-anticipated wedding chapter, I Do. Time really flies…You really are going to like what I have planned for the cliffhanger – I think it's the perfect way to resolve it, especially with the kind of theme that I've been going for with all of my stories. I Do is going to be fun – I think the ending is going to surprise people though. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla: I'm glad you liked it so much. Calla's got some big plans. There's going to be one big invention that she'll design during her time as CEO that will play a big part in the second half of my season 2. Her whole family is going to be proud of her – she's worked hard to make it where she is in the company, and all that hard work has finally paid off. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: I just got it. The Ls, Es, and Os were capitalized. Sorry, until you said it was on purpose, I just thought it was a glitch in your keyboard or something. LOL. I have to admit, while Leo was always going to be in the chapter, adding Davenport and Adam was something I decided on only about a month ago. I'm glad you liked having them there so much! I do promise, however, that the next time they show up, they will have more important roles. I'm glad you liked the dinner scene so much – making Calla the CEO so soon was one of the two decisions I've always been a little unsure of how people will react. The second one…well, that is something you'll get to see soon. Calla being in charge is going to have a few big impacts, including the creation of a wicked cool invention in season 2. If you can't tell, I'm really excited about the second season. But first, we have to finish the first. I think you're really going to like what I've done with the TV finale, so I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next.**

 **Darth Becky 726: Yep! Calla and Chase's wedding chapter is coming up really soon. I'm glad you're excited about it. May the force be with you, Darth Becky 726, and please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: I'm so glad you like it! Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Mannygamer34: Oh, believe me, there will be more. Not only will I end the cliffhanger in a way I think most people will like, I'm also going to be doing a second season. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Reese: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Skylar's POV**

"This game is taking forever." I complained, moving my character piece. It had been Bree's turn to choose the board game, and after Calla had threatened to throw Dani's Yahtzee game box out the window (the electrokinetic was determined to get the full account as to why she hated the game), Bree had decided on Monopoly. She'd made that decision three days ago, and there was still yet to be a winner. Dani had lost early on, then Chase and Oliver had quit sometime that night. Calla had just given up last night, leaving just me, Kaz, and Bree left to play. "What is the point of this?"

"To win." Bree insisted, grabbing the dice and rolling them. She moved her character pawn several spaces, just as Kaz's phone vibrated. He rolled the dice, then picked up the phone. His face twisted in confusion, then bemusement.

"Oliver," he looked over his shoulder at his best friend, who was sitting on the couch, watching TV "why did you just send me a text that says I make you feel all tingly inside?"

"What?" Oliver looked up in surprise. He looked at his phone, then cursed under his breath. "Sorry. That wasn't meant for you; it was meant for Skylar. It's my big thumbs; they're a curse."

"Well, since it's out in the open, I saw we all discuss this tingly feeling." Kaz teased.

"Hey, no." Bree scolded gently, giving me a small smirk. Oliver and I were dating now, I guess, though it was pretty early in the relationship. We'd really only been on a few dates, and though they were pretty fun – the last one, he'd taken me to one of those retro roller rinks that he had gone to a few times when he was younger – I still wasn't entirely sure how fast I wanted this relationship to go. Oliver, on the other hand, had yet to stop lighting up every time he saw me, or sending me flirty texts every so often.

"Uh, guys?" Dani came walking down the stairs, staring at her hands. "You remember back when we were all still discovering our superpowers? I think I got another one?"

"Really?" "Cool." Oliver and Kaz grinned. Dani raised an eyebrow.

"Not really." She raised her hands and a beam of light burst from them, lighting up the ground. "Flashlight hands. What good are these?"

"I'm sure they're plenty useful. Look at Spotlight." I offered, trying to be helpful.

"He can manipulate light. This is different." Dani insisted, shaking her head. "I have a phone app that can do this."

"Dani, your new powers may seem lame," I began, only for Kaz to cut in.

"And hysterical." He added, earning a glare from his girlfriend.

"But trust me," I continued, ignoring him, "there must be a purpose. A big part of being a superhero is getting used to your powers and knowing how and when to use them."

"Like when there's a power outage." Calla added cheerfully, walking down the stairs. She had a clipboard in her hands.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Oliver questioned, confused.

"Well, Chase texted me to let me know he found a potential candidate for my new assistant. I suggested that we do the interviews here, since whoever we choose will have to get to know the team." She explained. "Oh, by the way, does anyone have plans later?"

We all looked at each other. "Not that I know of." "Not really." We all replied. She smiled.

"Good, because that project I've been working on with my government funding is nearly done, and I want to show you guys." She decided. Kaz groaned.

"You're gonna make us go look at one of your nerd things?" He complained.

"Kaz, be supportive." I warned. Calla smiled.

"No, it's okay. Kaz, I promise you, it's not a nerd thing, and I think you guys are really going to like it." Calla insisted. She paused. "Or hate it. But I'm hoping for the former." She paused as the door opened. "Oh, hey Douglas."

Immediately, I could tell that something was wrong. Douglas was tense, a deep frown on his face. "What's wrong, Douglas?" Bree questioned, turning around in her seat.

"Not sure. Something strange is going on outside." He told us. "The whole city feels eerie. There are a lot more police sirens than usual."

Pausing, I listened to the background noise outside and sure enough, the sound of police sirens were much louder than usual. "What do you think it is?" I questioned.

"I don't know. But something's definitely not right." He decided just as the front door opened once more. Chase walked in, a tall, dark haired girl in tow. She was pretty, with big glasses, and ripped jeans.

"Hey guys, this is Reese." He announced. "She's going to be Calla's new assistant."

"Doesn't she have to interview?" I asked, confused.

"I am literally the only one who answered the flier." Reese pointed out.

"She makes a good point." Calla decided.

 **Dani's POV**

"Douglas is right." Skylar announced, coming in from the veranda. "Those sirens are really loud out there."

"Do you think we should go check it out?" Ollie asked. I shrugged.

"Sirens mean the police are on it." I replied, checking my phone again. Kaz frowned, noticing this.

"That's the eighth time you've done that. You waiting for a text?" He questioned.

"A call." I replied absently. Realizing that they were expecting more than that, I cleared my throat. "Um…from Liv. She said she'd call me."

"What about?" Skylar inquired. "Is it about how her new team doing?"

"Uh, yeah." I nodded quickly. "She wanted more information about a new hero they're looking at. I promised I'd get it to her."

Ollie frowned, though he didn't say anything. Kaz and Skylar, on the other hand, shrugged and went back to their game. Meanwhile, Calla and Chase were asking Reese about her past experience as an assistant. Although she was only college age, she'd already worked as a personal assistant for a couple of high-end salespeople. Chase and Calla were charmed, of course, at her flawless record and her eagerness to work.

"I love making coffee." Reese was saying. I smirked; oh yeah, she and Calla were going to get along just fine. "It's the most essential part of every morning."

"Trust me, you'll be doing a lot of coffee making." Chase chuckled. Calla rolled her eyes at him.

"And what about organizational skills? My life is kinda all over the place, between this team and my own inventions. Add running a company to that, and it's going to be a mess. How do you plan on helping me with that?" Calla questioned. Reese didn't even hesitate, having anticipated the question.

"I have my own organizational system that will allow me to help you manage your priorities, allowing enough time to get everything done, and in the proper order so that nothing is neglected." Reese began. I started tuning her out again, bored of the conversation already.

I glanced at my phone again, getting impatient. I'd been told to expect a call anywhere from now to the next couple of weeks, but I'd been hoping to get it sooner or later. It had been way too long, and with everything going on with Roman and Riker…well, I had an idea how we could stop them, and any other villain that we had to, and even though I knew the others definitely wouldn't approve, I was hoping it could work.

"Okay, what's up?" Ollie questioned, sitting on the couch next to me. I looked at him, confused, and he rolled his eyes. "I know that look; something's up. Talk to me."

"It's nothing, Ollie." I insisted. He raised an eyebrow. "Drop it."

"Is it about Mom?" He guessed. I looked at him sharply. "C'mon, Dee. We both know that tomorrow would have been Horace and Mom's one year anniversary. It's okay to be thinking about it."

I slumped back into the couch and rolled my head to look at him. "Do we have to talk about it right now?"

"You haven't talked about it at all." He pointed out. I rolled my eyes, annoyed. "Seriously Dee, at least I've talked about it. I know you and Mom kinda hated each other-"

"We didn't hate each other." I mumbled. He paused. "We didn't get along, but in the end we were trying, and then everything went to hell." I sighed. "Honestly, Ollie, it's been a full year and you know what bothers me the most? I don't hate her for it."

"Well, she is our mom. I don't hate her either." He added, trying to be helpful. I shook my head.

"I should, though, right? She's a criminal and she killed at least one person…but…" I sighed irritably. I sent him a half-hearted glare. "Look, I don't talk about it for a reason, and that's because it's freaking confusing when you're supposed to hate the woman who originally became a criminal because someone threatened to hurt you. So, I'm going to just pretend tomorrow wouldn't have been the anniversary, alright? Alright."

I stood up to leave just as Douglas came down the stairs. He glanced at Reese before looking at the rest of us. "Uh, can I have a word with you guys? In private?"

"Sure." Calla nodded. She smiled at Reese. "Reese, why don't you go to the kitchen? Grab whatever you want out of the fridge."

"Okay." Reese nodded and got up, heading for the fridge, while Douglas pulled us to the other end of the room.

"You remember how I told you something weird was going on? Well, I was just watching the Channel 5 News with Chip and Dixie, and they said strange things have been happening all over the city." He told us seriously.

"Aside from people calling themselves Chip and Dixie?" Skylar questioned. Douglas pointedly ignored her.

"Fires, ruptured gas lines, all sorts of random destruction." He continued. "And get this: eyewitnesses are saying it all started with a mysterious black swarm."

We all exchanged looks. "Hey, we know a mysterious black swarm." Kaz remembered, grinning before he realized what that meant. "Oh."

"Roman and Riker." Chase muttered, angrily.

"Hold on. Let's not jump to conclusions." Ollie reassured us. 'It is tornado season." We all looked at him and he shrugged. "Douglas isn't the only one who watches Chip and Dixie."

"They must be changing up their strategy." Bree realized. "Instead of attacking us, they're attacking the people of Centium City."

"But why?" I asked, confused. It seemed like a waste of their time – it didn't get them anything, after all.

"Because they couldn't get the superhero list." Skylar said thoughtfully. "Instead of fighting the superheroes themselves, I bet they're trying to lure them out by using innocent civilians as bait."

"I'll go down and use the encrypted network to warn Liv and the others." Kaz offered. He started towards the hyperlift, but before he could get there, the room went dark.

"The hell?" Calla muttered, walking over to the window, the darkened sky barely giving us enough light to see. "The whole city just went black."

"Don't just stand there." Kaz turned to look at me, a grin on his face. "Dee, turn on your flashlight hands."

"Seriously?" I looked at him and shook my head.

"This isn't good." Chase muttered. Douglas looked at us.

"You guys need to suit up and get out there." He told us. Calla nodded, then turned to Reese.

"Reese, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to l-" "Stay here." Chase cut her off. She looked at him sharply. "It's safer than her heading out onto the streets, where Roman and Riker are."

"Fair point." Calla nodded. "Yeah, stay here. Sorry."

"It's okay." Reese assured her, sitting down on the couch and pulling out her phone. "I've got a full charge."

"Let's go." Skylar rushed us. As we raced upstairs, I saw Chase paused. He looked at his phone, a confused look coming over his face.

"Oliver, why did you just invite me to a post-mission cuddle session?" He questioned. Kaz laughed loudly as Ollie cursed.

"Stupid thumbs." He muttered, following Kaz into their room. The door closed for a moment before he poked his head out of the room. "Hey, can you forward that to Skylar?"

 **Skylar's POV**

Ten minutes later and we patrolled the streets, keeping a close eye out for Roman and Riker as we dealt with the destruction they'd left in their wake. "They trashed the entire city." Bree shook her head in horrified amazement as we watched Oliver put out a car fire.

"I don't understand how they could do this much damage so fast." Calla murmured.

"Shh, shh." Chase hushed her quickly. "Listen."

We all stopped talking and cast our attention to the sounds of the city. There were the usual sounds – honking horns, police sirens – but above it was the familiar sound of a buzzing swarm. "I can't see them." Kaz hissed worriedly, head craning as he tried to spot the black swarm. But it was already dark out, between the clouds and the lack of power in the city, making it harder to see, particularly if you were trying to locate something similar to a black cloud.

"Everyone get ready." Chase warned, balling his fists.

"It sounds like they're coming from every direction." Bree commented, eyes scanning the sky. The buzzing sound grew louder, but none of us could see the shapeshifting duo anywhere.

"Where are they?" I questioned. A moment later, a terrified civilian ran out from a side street, being chased by a large swarm. It surrounded him, lifting him off the ground.

"Well, I think we found them." Kaz commented, even as I raised my hand and blasted the swarm with a ball of energy. The swarm dispersed, dropping the man a few feet to the ground.

"Run for cover!" Bree shouted, watching the swarm to make sure it didn't reform.

 **Reese's POV**

I looked at my phone, tapping my foot impatiently. The man who had sent the others away looked at me, trying to think of another way to start a conversation.

"So, Chip and Dixie say there's a new panda at the zoo." It was his fifth attempt to start an awkward conversation with me.

"We can just sit here in silence if you want." I suggested. Maybe he'd get bored and leave. He sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank God." He leaned back to relax, just as the door burst open and a short, large woman with curly red hair burst in, looking frazzled.

"Douglas!" She cried in relief. She paused, looking at me. "Who's the tween? Did you make another one?"

"No, Perry, she's applying to be Calla's assistant." He explained. Perry nodded.

"I saw the news. The city is being overrun by a giant swarm." She told Douglas. She sat down on the couch and curled up to him. "I'm scared, Dougie."

Douglas immediately got off the couch, putting some space between him and Perry. "And now I'm scared." I smirked, bemused. "Look, the team is out taking care of it."

"But what if they don't? What if they never come back?" Perry questioned. I sat back, watching the exchange. "Then you and I will have this giant penthouse all to ourselves…ooh. Just like that, I'm rooting for the bad guys."

"I'm going to go up to the roof." Douglas decided. "There's an emergency generator to get some light in here."

"I'll go with you." Perry offered. She smiled dreamily. "I once had a dream that we were up on the roof: two young baes under a blanket of stars…"

"Sounds nice; did I jump?" Douglas questioned. Perry looked at him, hurt. "Look, just stay here with Reese until I get back."

"That's okay. She doesn't have to." I hastened to assure him.

"Stay." He insisted, heading out the door. Perry looked at me, then smiled.

"Look at us, two pretty girls, in the big city, waiting in the dark, you for your career, me for my gentlemen caller. You know what we should do?" She grinned. "Make overs! We can surprise them!"

"No, that's okay-" I began. I didn't have time to be playing make-up artist with some old lady.

"I know what you're thinking. How could I get any more beautiful, right?" Well, not exactly, but whatever floats her boat. "Well, if I'm being honest, the makeover is more for you than it is for me."

She got up and grabbed me by the wrist, with a grasp so tight that I couldn't pull away. "Come on." She began to drag me upstairs. "I'm going to make you look so glamorous."

 **Dani's POV**

"Hurry up!" Ollie shouted over his shoulder as Chase and I led a group of people to safety. My brother raised his hands, blasting the swarm with an icy blast in order to keep it off our tails. Once the people were on their way out of the streets and to safety, Chase and I ran back to the others.

"We have to get these people out of here." Bree told us as another coupe ran past us. I gasped, suddenly noticing a swarm heading straight for her and Calla.

"Guys, look out!" Skylar shouted in warning. Both girls looked up at the same time. Bree sped forward, grabbing a civilian and speeding her to safety, while Calla formed a proton disk, spun around to give herself momentum, and threw it into the swarm. It circled itself a couple of times, breaking up the swarm, before returning to her hand.

"Calla, you had a point earlier. How can they be causing so much damage?" Chase commented, confused. "There's only two of them."

Before anyone could respond, another swarm burst out from a manhole cover. "I've got this!" Kaz shouted, shooting a burst of flames into it before it could attack. It retreated backwards, out of the flames, and flew past us, but Skylar was on it. She did a flip in the air to avoid it, then blasted it herself. It screamed in pain, flying away.

"There are too many swarms. I didn't know that Roman and Riker's swarm could split up and be in the different places at the same time." Bree commented, glancing at us. Kaz, Ollie, and I exchanged looks.

"They can't." Kaz told her solemnly.

"Guys," Skylar looked at us, a look of sickened realization crossing her face. "We're not just fighting Roman and Riker. We're fighting multiple shapeshifters."

"There are more of them?" Calla questioned, completely done with the situation. Suddenly, as if to prove Skylar's point, four swarms appeared in the sky above us, circling us. We all fell back into a somewhat protective stance, our backs to each other to provide additional protection.

"There's too many of them." Oliver whispered, eyes wide. "We're outnumbered."

"We can do this." Skylar assured him. "We just need to concentrate on taking out one swarm at a time."

"But how?" Bree shot back.

"Maybe Dani could distract them with her flashlight-" Kaz began. I turned to glare at him.

"Enough." I snapped, only making him grin wider. Suddenly, one of the swarms shot down at us, floating through and us shoving us away from each other. I stumbled, grabbing onto Kaz's arm to balance myself. I looked at him, eyes wide. We couldn't do this. There were too many of them, and not enough of us. And the only idea I had that could save us…it wouldn't work in time. Not in time to save the city, to save us…

"We can do this." Chase insisted, when he saw that every one of our faces mirrored each other's. "We can't give up."

"He right." Skylar agreed. "If we can't stop Roman, Riker, and whoever their friends are, then they're going to destroy the city, then take out every other superhero in the world. It's up to use to save them and our city."

Before anyone could protest, another swarm raced towards us, this time aiming to actually hit us. It barreled right through Kaz and Bree, though the later managed to side-step it at the last minute. Bree barely lost her balance, but Kaz was thrown to the ground, landing hard on his leg.

"Kaz!" Bree shouted as I ran towards him.

"I'm okay." He groaned, rubbing his leg before taking my hand and getting to his feet.

"We can't win." Ollie shook his head helplessly. "This is a suicide mission."

"No." Skylar shook her head. "It'll be tough, but…we _can_ do this. We are an elite force." She held her hand out in the middle of all of us. "Who's with me?"

We all sighed, looking at each other. "If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting." Chase decided, placing his hand in the middle. Calla's hand touched the top of his.

"Together." She declared. I sighed.

"Well, if I'm going to die, might as well take you guys with me." I placed my hand on top of hers.

"That's the spirit, Dee." Kaz chuckled, his hand going into the middle next. "I'm in."

"Let's kick some ass." Bree agreed. Ollie was the last to place his hand on the pile.

"I guess I'm in too." He agreed.

"Wow, you really do have big thumbs." Skylar realized, looking closely at my brother's hand. "Look at that sucker!"

Ollie pulled his hand away self-consciously, frowning, just as the swarms above us began to circle each other. "What are they doing?" Bree demanded, backing away as the fast-circling swarms began to descend.

"They're banding together!" Ollie realized as the swarms stopped circling, forming together to create one large, dangerous swarm.

"Brace yourselves!" Chase shouted, grabbing both Calla and Bree's arms, while creating a forcefield around us. I tensed up as the swarm hit the forcefield. For a moment, the force field seemed to be holding them off. And then, it shattered, and we were hit with the full force of the swarm.

 **Reese's POV**

I looked up as the lights in the penthouse turned back on. Perry had already gone downstairs, so I guessed that Douglas had turned on the generator. Good, it would make things easier.

I turned around, then grimaced when I caught sight of my reflection. Perry had really done a number on me; between the overly done blush and the too heavy, sparkly, purple eyeshadow, I looked like a six-year-old who'd broken into their mother's make-up kit.

"Come on down, Reese!" Perry called up to me. I cast another glance into the mirror.

"I don't want to!" I called back, reaching for some make-up remover. Maybe I could get rid of enough of it to look presentable.

"Get down here, girlie!" Perry snapped. Sighing, I dropped the make-up remover and headed back down to the main floor. Perry grinned at me.

"I think it's a little much." I admitted.

"Oh, it's a lot too much." She agreed. "It's perfect!"

Douglas took that moment to walk into the apartment. "Okay, I was able to turn the generator-" He stopped when he saw Perry and I. Though his reaction didn't appear to be a happy one, Perry smiled at him.

"Hi Dougie." She sang flirtatiously.

"And now I'm going to go turn it off again." Douglas backed out of the apartment. Perry followed him.

"You haven't seen the best part: I rouged my bunions." She stopped at the door. "Be right back." She told me before racing after him.

"Take your time!" I called after her. Once I was sure she was gone, I smirked. "I have work to do. Hyperlift, open."

The hyperlift doors slid open and I stepped in. I pulled out my phone, then sent a text to my father. "I'm in."

 **Dani's POV**

I didn't remember hitting the ground, or blacking out, but when I woke up on the ground, my entire body aching, I knew that the swarm must have overpowered Chase's forcefield. I slowly got to my feet, just as the others were waking up.

"Whoa!" Calla exclaimed, drawing my attention to the tall, dark-clothed man standing above us. I knew who he was instantly, the man looking too much like Roman and Riker to be anyone but their father. "Who the hell are you?"

"Roddiseus." Kaz confirmed, helping Ollie up. The others all watched the former hero apprehensively. "I recognize him from Mighty Med."

"We had to take away his powers to save his life." I added. Oh God, what a mistake that had been. If we had just let him die that day, maybe Horace and the other superheroes would still be alive.

"I have a question." Ollie interrupted. He looked at Roddiseus, a serious expression on his face. "Isn't it a pain to write out your name all the time? Wouldn't it be easier to go by Rod?"

"No." Roddiseus responded coolly.

"Roddiseus it is." Ollie sighed, backing up. Roddiseus smirked.

"I see that your pathetic, little Elite Force has finally realized that you're no match for my family of shapeshifters."

"Family?" Bree echoed. "How many kids do you have?"

"Thirteen." Roddiseus replied, a hint of pride in his voice. Even Kaz, who's family was notorious for being incredibly massive, looked surprised by the number. "And believe me, Roman and Riker are the nice ones."

"What does that say about you as a father?" Calla mused. Kaz glared at Roddiseus.

"You can attack this city all you want. But no amount of destruction will ever bring your powers back." He told the villain. "And to be honest, you don't deserve them."

"I may not have my powers, but my children do." He reminded us, smiling cruelly. "And as you can see, they're getting plenty of revenge for me."

"You're attacking innocent people." Skylar spat, disgusted. Roddiseus smiled, making him look a little crazy. Well, more than he already did.

"I know. Isn't it great?" He replied.

"Look, Rod." Ollie paused, then smiled. "See, it's got a nice ring to it."

"Stay focused, Ollie." I said softly. He nodded.

"Look, we're onto your plan. We know that you're attacking these people to lure the other superheroes out." Ollie continued. "But it's not going to work. We're going to take you out first."

To our surprise, Roddiseus laughed. "You think we're trying to lure the superheroes here? No. Our plan is a little more complex than that."

"How so?" Calla questioned suspiciously. Roddiseus smirked.

"We didn't have to bring the superheroes here; I could care less about them. We just had to get you away from your cyber desk." He sneered. We all looked at each other until the answer dawned on us.

"There's someone in the house." Kaz's eyes widened.

"Reese." Skylar realized, eyes going wide.

"No way." Calla shook her head in disbelief.

"She was the best applicant." Chase insisted.

"She was the only applicant." Ollie corrected. He looked at us. "I wonder if that was for a reason."

"My daughter needed to be sure she'd get in." Roddiseus replied.

"Daughter?" Chase repeated, stunned. Roddiseus chuckled.

"I thought it would be a little harder to trick the smartest man in the world." He mocked.

"Come on." Bree looked at us. "We have to get back before she gets the superhero list."

We all started to race back to the Penthouse, but then Roddiseus laughed. It wasn't just a regular, amused laugh, but a victorious one. He thought he had won. He thought he had beaten us.

I hated losing, always had. It wasn't that I always needed to win. I just loathed the idea of someone getting the better of me. It was why I pushed myself so hard in soccer, then video games, and later archery – so that I could win. And Roddiseus, he didn't deserve to win. Not this time.

I turned around, then walked back towards him, feeling the electricity running through my veins. I glared at him hatefully, charging the energy inside me. "What do you want?" He questioned, bemused.

"This is for Horace, and Clone Master, and every other superhero you and your family have killed." I told him, before raising my hands. They lit up like they had before and as I brought my hands together, a ball of electrical energy, more powerful than anything I'd ever felt, formed. I raised my head to meet Roddiseus' gaze, then blasted him in the chest with it for all that I was worth. He hit the ground, and didn't get up. "How do you like those flashlight hands?"

"Dani." I spun around to see Skylar watching me, a surprised and amazed expression on her face. "How did you-"

"I'm not going to lie. That was a total accident." I admitted. She sighed.

"C'mon." She insisted. I ran after her as we tried to catch up with the others.

 **Reese's POV**

"The cyberdesk." I grinned happily as I reached the Elite Force's secret base. I stepped up to it, but when I tried to access it, the system refused to turn on.

" _You are not authorized to access the cyber desk."_ A feminine voice told me. I looked up, remembering what my brothers had mentioned of the AI security system. _"Step away from the consol."_

"How about no?" I replied, raising my hand towards the screen on the wall (the last time Riker was here, he'd made sure to find out where the AI's control center was, specifically for this reason) and blasted it with my energy blasts. The room's lights flickered briefly, but didn't go out, so I turned back to the cyberdesk. This time, when I tried to access it, there was no pesky AI around to stop me. "Now, where is it?" I muttered to myself, swiping through the files. Eventually, though, I found a list, giving all the superheroes names, both alias and real ones, as well as their locations. I quickly started the download process, plugging a flash drive into the cyber desk.

However, before it could finish, a rock wall to my left slid upwards and Douglas ran in. I quickly stepped in front of the cyberdesk, hoping he wouldn't see the holographic screen behind me. "Wait! There's more to my makeover!" Perry's voice came out from the tunnel he'd entered from. "I painted all my toes to look like our future children!"

"You know the rules. No kids in mission command!" Douglas shouted, quickly closing the rock wall. He turned, likely to use the hyperlift, but paused when he saw me. "Reese? What are you doing?"

"I, uh…" Getting caught hadn't been part of the plan. "I was just looking for a better WI-FI signal."

"How did you ever know this was down here?" He questioned. He stepped to the side to get a better look at the cyberdesk. "That's the superhero list. What are you up to?"

I sighed; well, there goes my cover. I turned and smirked at him, before shapeshifting into a ball of pure energy. I rushed at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backwards before turning back into myself. "What the…" Douglas stared at me in shocked amazement. I smirked.

"Just completing a mission my brothers couldn't." I told him, amused by the dumb expression on his face.

"You're Roman and Riker's sister." He realized.

"Their more powerful sister." I added with a smirk. I raised my hand, then blasted him with the same energy that I'd blasted the AI with. He screamed in pain when it hit him, right between the eyes, then dropped to the floor, motionless. "Did you feel the burn?" I teased, kneeling down to check his pulse. Hmm…weak, and getting weaker by the second. He couldn't have long left. "When that Elite Force comes home to find your body, they'll have a permanent reminder of what kind of power they're really dealing with."

 **Skylar's POV**

"Douglas!" Chase shouted, spotting the man the moment we entered Mission Command. His father/uncle was lying prone on the ground, Perry standing above him. Bree and Chase ran to him first, the rest of us only a couple of feet behind. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Perry replied, shaking her head helplessly. "I was chasing him all over, and when I found him down here, he was gasping for air."

"Why were you chasing him?" Dani asked the obvious question, as Chase and Bree examined Douglas. Perry shrugged.

"It was pretty obvious he wasn't going to come willingly." She replied.

"Perry, call 911, alright?" Calla instructed. Perry nodded, then raced up to the main floor, where she'd get better reception.

"Where's Reese?" I asked. "MISS?"

To my surprise, the AI didn't respond. "MISS, where is Reese?" Kaz said loudly. Again, no response.

"Guys, she got Douglas good. His pulse is really weak." Bree told us.

"That's not the only thing she got." Oliver stepped away from the cyberdesk. "She was on the cyberdesk."

"What'd she get?" Calla demanded, standing up.

"I don't know. I can't even access it." Oliver muttered. Calla took his place, frowning when even her override code wouldn't work. "Maybe whatever she did to MISS is keeping us out?"

"No. She had to have done it manually." Calla muttered. She turned around to face us, thinking. "The superhero list. Riker tried to get it before; it must be what she came for."

"I shouldn't have suggested that her stay here alone with Douglas." Chase muttered.

"This isn't your fault. She fooled all of us." Bree told him quickly.

"They know where Liv and the rest of the superheroes are." Dani commented. "And we can't even access the cyberdesk to warn them. What are we going to do?"

Chase took a deep breath, then stood up. "Here's the plan." We all looked at him as he went into leader mode. "Calla and I will stay here with Douglas, and make sure he gets the medical attention he needs. The rest of you head out, try and find Reese. Maybe we can find her before she and her siblings go after the other superheroes." He nodded, pleased with his plan. "If it's a war they want, then we'll give them one."

 **Reese's POV**

"Father! Father?" We'd planned to meet in the center of the city, near the old subway station that we'd been using as a lair. But when I reached the rendezvous location, I found him lying on the ground, seriously injured. "Father!"

I raced over to him, dropping to my knees at the last second, and pulling his head onto my lap. He didn't look very good; each breath was a ragged gasp, his skin pale and clammy. There was a bad cut on his forehead, blood trickling onto the dirty road beneath him. "Did you get…the list?" He gasped out. I nodded quickly.

"Yes. The superheroes are ours." I promised him. He nodded weakly, his eyelids fluttering. "Who did this to you?"

"The superhero girl. The electrokinetic." He ground out, coughing weakly. I bit my lip, watching his breathing get weaker. His eyes slid closed and I knew then he wasn't going to make it.

"Don't worry, Father. We'll see this through." I promised him, wanting the last thing he heard to be a guarantee that we would avenge him. "We'll destroy every last superhero, starting with the Elite Force."

 **Kihonne: So, that was a rather unexpected ending, I suspect. I'll admit, I hadn't originally planned to kill Roddiseus, but in the end, with the rest of my plans, this ending made quite a bit of sense to me. Anyway, now we are left with so many questions, the number one being how will they defeat the shapeshifters? I'm afraid you're going to have to wait another week to find out. Trust me, it's going to be an awesome chapter. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next couple of chapters:**

 **May 8** **th** **: Against the Odds**

 **May 15** **th** **: I Do**

 **So, I guess I'll see you all next week. But until then, don't forget to review!**


	17. Against the Odds

**Kihonne: Alright, so here it is. It's time for the second half of The Attack, Against the Odds. I have a really cool chapter planned for you guys, so I won't waste much of your time by chatting. It's time for shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **SzymonS: I'm so glad you liked it so much! Dani will find out what she's done, and well…it will have an effect on her. I can't say much more than that, I'm afraid. As for Douglas, you're going to have to read to find out. And yes, Monopoly, the never ending board game. As for Dani's secret plan, I can't reveal anything information on that, but you'll find out soon what that idea involved, and why the others wouldn't approve of it. As for Bridget, trust me, she's made good use of her time. It may look like she hasn't been doing much, since we haven't seen her, but Bridget has been a supervillain for a long time – she knows when it's time to plan and when it's time to act. And finally, we're at the final battle. I think you're going to like how I play it, so please enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked the chapter! LOL, it IS a hard name to spell. When writing the last chapter, I had to go back and double check my spelling every time I wrote his name. As for Dani's plan, and the phone call, you're going to find out more about those fairly soon. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked it so much! I think you're really going to like the ending. Roddiseus' death was necessary, partially because I needed him out of the way for good, and partial to help a story arc for next season move along a little faster. It does suck that I couldn't have the Chase/Bree sibling moment in there, but I do plan on having a chapter next season that has a lot of sibling moments in there, so I think you'll like that. I won't be doing a third season, sorry, but I will be doing another story in the series to replace a third season. The reason I'm doing it separately is because I wanted the characters to be a little bit older, and I didn't want to have a 3 year time skip between chapters.**

 **Algernon23: LOL. I'm glad you liked it. Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla347: Thank you. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Darth Becky 726: I'm glad you're excited. As for Douglas, I'm going to be doing something a little different than what happened with Taylor – I don't like repeating story or character arcs – but there will be damage to his eyes. And yes, Roddiseus is dead. You made a good guess as to what would happen in this chapter, but if you want to see what happens, you're going to have to read to find out. Calla has one power: the proton disks. I don't know for sure whatever powers you're referring to – if you mean the thermos-nuclear body blast and the flashlight hands, they belong to Bree and Dani respectively. And don't worry about rambling, I enjoy the long reviews. Anyway, may the force be with you, and please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla: You're going to have to read to find out. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Eliteforce12: I'm so glad you liked it! Yeah, you weren't the only one who guessed that was the direction I was going with the story. As for Roddiseus, I needed him out of the way to make room for my big season 2 plots. I want to wrap up the shapeshifter plot, or at least most of it, in season 1, then deal with a different threat in season 2. But don't worry, you won't have to wait too long to find out who the main villain will be. Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!**

 **Sugabee14: Wow, thank you so much! Seriously, thank you. I really hope you like this chapter just as much, as well as next week's wedding chapter.**

 **GU3ST: I don't know. I mean, the Lab Assistant did have 4 seasons in it, but by chapter 17 in the Lab Assistant, we were already into season 2, so I think it's debatable.**

 **Mannygamer34: I guess you're going to have to read to find out what happens! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Emc Superbionics: I'm so glad you liked it! And yeah, I think killing Roddiseus caught everyone off guard. I kinda needed him out of the way, and having Dani kill him also drove some plots I'm working on forward. And yes, it does give his kids more of a motive to accomplish his last wishes. The ending will be pretty awesome, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Bennyweirlover: I'm glad you liked it! Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm so glad you liked it, and that you're excited for the next one! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked it! I really think you're going to like what I've got planned for the rest of the series – it's going to be badass. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Madammidnight066: Wow, thank you. You really made my day. Seriously, thank you for saying such kind things. I wish you the best, in both your writing ventures and your own life, and I really hope you like the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Now, time for the chapter!**

 **Calla: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns her OCs, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"I can't believe Reese stole the list right out from under our noses." I muttered as Kaz and I made our way down the street. It was eerily quiet out here, the sound of sirens and other cars having disappeared hours ago. I didn't know whether it was because the police had just given up trying to stop the unbeatable force that was the shapeshifting siblings, or if the villains had taken them out while we were distracted. Neither was a good option, both of them leaving us with one simply, chilling fact: we were on our own.

Roddiseus and his children had the advantage right now. We had no idea where they'd all disappeared too, and for all we knew, they could be watching us right now. And thought we'd split up to cover more ground, we were still no closer to locating them.

And even if we did find them, what then? We were outnumbered 2 to 1, assuming that Calla and Chase would be back from taking care of Douglas in time to fight alongside us. That alone would have pushed us against a wall, as teaming up against a villain had always made up for our lack of experience or other weaknesses, but each of those shapeshifters was also immensely powerful. We'd spent the past year trying to defeat Roman and Riker, just the two of them against the seven of us, and most of the time, it was an even match. But without the advantage of power over them, or numbers, we were, for lack of better words, completely and utterly screwed.

"We should never have let her into the Penthouse. What were Chase and Calla thinking?" Kaz questioned rhetorically. I spared him a glance before resuming to scan the street.

"It wasn't their fault. They didn't know, and neither did we." Piling on the blame was a waste of time anyway. "But now that she's got the list, we have to stop them before they go after the other heroes."

"Who's to say that they haven't already?" Kaz suggested. I frowned. He was right, of course. It wasn't just possibly – it was probable – but I hated the idea of Alivia and her new team being attacked without so much of a warning. They used comms rather than cellphones, making it harder for them to be tracked, so they might be safe for a bit, but without our access to the superhero network, it also meant that it would be next to impossible to warn them of the impending danger.

"Aren't you supposed to be the optimistic one?" I mumbled. Kaz opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Skylar's voice coming over the comms.

" _Hey, have you guys seen anything yet?"_ She questioned, her voice echoing in our ears.

"Afraid not. You guys?" Kaz replied.

" _Nope."_ Bree sounded frustrated. She and Skylar had gone downtown to search, while Kaz and I looked through uptown. Along with Dani, who was patrolling the skies, we were all supposed to meet near where we'd met Roddiseus earlier. _"It's a big city, though. They must be around here."_

" _The skies are clear."_ Dani reported. _"Well, no. Actually, it's pretty dark and wet, but no sign of any black swarms."_

It was then that I noticed the light rain. Huh, guess I was too distracted to realize before. "Dee, come back down. If it rains any harder, the visibility is going to be crap, and then you'll crash into a building."

" _You know, I'd make a comment about how you have no faith in my flying abilities, but you're probably right. Meet you guys in the square."_ My sister promised.

" _Keep a lookout guys."_ Skylar warned. _"They have to be around here somewhere."_

"Unless they're attacking Liv and her new friends as we speak." I added, worriedly.

" _I doubt they've left yet."_ She replied. _"Dani kicked Roddiseus' ass pretty bad – they're gonna want a shot of revenge before they leave."_

" _So, I have a bullseye on my back? Awesome."_ Dani commented sarcastically.

" _It could be worse. You could be Douglas right now."_ Bree murmured, her voice soft and bitter. I wince sympathetically. Douglas had been in serious condition when we'd left him with Calla and Chase. We had no idea if he would even survive, let alone recover, from Reese's attack, and Bree must be freaking out, even if she didn't show it on the outside.

"Bree, he's going to be fine." Kaz assured her, though he didn't look nearly as confident as he sounded. "But right now, we need to focus, alright?"

We turned the corner and found ourselves in the square we'd agreed to meet in. Dani was already there, kneeling on the ground, her hair soaked from her flight through the rain clouds. She looked over at us, then raised her hand. The tips of her glove were stained red.

"Blood." She told us, standing with a frown on her face.

"Is it Roddiseus'?" Bree questioned as she and Skylar walked into the square.

"Maybe." Dani shrugged. "I didn't think I hit him that hard, but I could be wrong."

"It looked like you put a lot of power into your blast." Skylar commented. "There's no way he just walked away from that. He probably needed help to get out of here."

"I wasn't really focusing on the power of the blast – it was all instinct. I just wanted to stop him." Dani mentioned, still frowning.

"One of his little brats must have helped him get out of here." Bree decided, gritting her teeth together. But my attention was already focused elsewhere as a new sound hit the air.

"Shush." I told everyone quickly, listening hard. After a moment, they heard it too: the faint, all too familiar buzzing sound that we knew accompanied the shapeshifters' swarms. But no matter where we looked, our enemies were nowhere to be found.

"Well, that's not ominous at all." Kaz commented dryly.

"Stay alert." Skylar ordered. "We can hear them, but we can't see them, and that makes them dangerous."

"Well, you're certainly right about that." We spun around to see a young man, about our age, with dark hair and a complexion uncannily similar to Riker's. Behind him were another four shapeshifters, three boys and a girl, all looking about the same.

"What, you thought you could get away from us? After what you did to our father?" The girl sneered. As she spoke, another pair of shapeshifters, another boy and girl, stepped out from the shadows.

The rest of us exchanged looks. Well, at least we found them.

 **Chase's POV**

"Thank you." I nodded gratefully at the Douglas' doctor. She gave me a comforting smile, then walked away to deal with another patient. I walked back to waiting room, where Calla was waiting with two steaming paper cups.

"What's his prognosis?" She asked softly, handing me a cup. I took a sip, then grimaced at the bitter taste. "Sorry, they were out of both cream and sugar."

"He's stable for now, but he's still in rough shape. There was damage to his eyes; they don't know how much yet, but it's extensive." I replied, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Reese must have blasted him with all her energy; he went into cardiac arrest."

"But he's stable?" Calla confirmed, placing her hand on my arm. I nodded.

"Yeah, but things were close for a while. Dr. Porter says he should make a full recovery, but they won't know for sure until he wakes up. Whenever that will be." I sighed. God, this was all my fault. I'd been the one to go over her resume before moving her onto the interview stage. I should have triple checked it, should have made sure everything was legit. I was the one who sent her to the Penthouse, and I was the one who offered to let her stay there while we dealt with Roman and Riker. How could I have made such a stupid mistake? Now Reese had the list of remaining superheroes, she'd cut off all our communication with them so we couldn't warn them, and Douglas was in the hospital because of me. If I hadn't-

"It was my idea to do the interviews at the Penthouse." Calla murmured. I looked at her sharply.

"This isn't your fault." I said quickly.

"It's as much mine as it is yours." She told me sternly. "You don't get to drown yourself in your guilt and not let me take a little of it on. That's not fair. We're in this together. Okay?"

I sighed. "Okay." I agreed, knowing better than to argue with her. "Now what?"

"We…we fight." She shrugged. "What else can we do?"

"I don't know, but there's got to be something." I sighed irritably. "They're more powerful, they outnumber us, and they can disappear into the sky anytime they want."

"We've had worse odds. Krane was more powerful than us, the students outnumbered us, and we still won." She reminded me.

"We all nearly died." I pointed out.

"But we didn't." Calla reminded me. "So, we just have to figure out another way to beat them. They're strong, yeah, but clever beats strong any day, remember?"

I gave her a small smile, appreciating her determination. "Still, this isn't a great situation, Calla. We've spent months just trying to stop two shapeshifters. Now we're facing six times that."

"All we need is a good strategy." Calla insisted. I scoffed.

"If you've got one, I'd love to hear it." I replied.

"Um…we could…maybe we…uh…" She blanked. "Okay, I got nothing."

I sighed and sat down in one of the seats. "We have to find a way to beat them. They're power hungry and crazy. If they beat us, they'll destroy the other superheroes, and then…and then move onto world domination."

"That's how it is in the comic books." Calla agreed. "Damn, I miss the old days, when the scariest thing we had to deal with was Marcus."

"You thought he was scarier than Krane?" I questioned, surprised.

"You didn't?" She replied. I chuckled, then got serious.

"Alright, so they have the list. No doubt they're going to use it to go after the other superheroes." I thought aloud, lying the entire situation out before us. "Now, since we know they're still in town, it's possible that they want to take us out first, but they're not going to be stupid about it. They're going to have some sort of contingency plan."

"They'll have hidden the list. Probably gave it to Roddiseus." Calla added. "So, all we need to do is beat them before they use the list."

"Is that all?" I questioned. She gave me a look. "Look, even if they weren't seriously powerful, we'd still have a problem with the fact that they outnumber us."

"Yeah…" Calla frowned, leaning against the wall. She had a deep, thoughtful look on her face, and didn't say anything else, so I continued.

"Maybe if we could solve one of those problems, we'd have a chance, but I don't have any ideas."

"I might." Calla spoke up. I looked at her, then smiled when I saw that I-have-an-awesome-but-crazy-idea light in her eyes. "I need you to buy me some time though."

"What idea? How much time?" I demanded, getting to my feet.

"Don't have time to explain, and as much as you can." She replied. "Like, I'm going to need an hour or two."

"Two hours. Calla, our team is out there fighting right now." I told her. "We can't wait two hours."

"Look, if you've got something better, go for it. I can work my idea, and either you guys beat them before I get back, or we go with my idea." She assured me.

"Or, they defeat us before you get back." I added. She nodded solemnly.

"Chase, this _will_ work." She insisted. "Or, at least give us a much better chance at winning." She looked at me. "I need you to trust me."

I looked at her, then sighed. I didn't like splitting up like this, but if the worst case scenario did happen, then Calla would at least be spared. At least there was that silver-lining. "Like you said, we're a team. I trust you."

"Good. I'll see you soon." She kissed me quickly, then headed for the door. She stopped in front of the sliding doors. "Wait." She turned to look at me. "Look, I'll be back as soon as I can, but…if it looks like you can't win, no matter how hard you fight, run."

"I can't do that." I shook my head.

"Yes, you can." She argued. "I don't mean abandon the others. I mean, if you and our friends surviving means letting those shapeshifters take the city, then let them. Live to fight another day."

"Go." I told her in way of response. "I'll see you soon."

 **Oliver's POV**

"Move!" Kaz hissed as he limped past me, going as fast as he could as we turned down the street. The shapeshifting siblings had been quickly joined by two more of their brethren and after trying, and failing, to subdue them, we were forced to retreat. There'd simply been too many of them to fight at once, and they had used that to their advantage. Four of them had morphed into their black swarm to attack us from above, while the other five had used their other powers on us, their abilities ranging from energy blasts to bolts of lightning that even Dee had trouble matching. We'd managed to stand our ground for twenty long, painful minutes, but they'd eventually overwhelmed us.

"Hey!" Suddenly, Dani grabbed my arm, pulling both of us into a small alley. Skylar and Bree followed suit, the five of us pressing against the stone walls as the swarm flew past us. We stood there, as quietly and still as we could. After a moment, Bree glanced at us, then turned invisible. She disappeared for a tense couple of moments, then reappeared, suddenly standing next to Skylar. She jumped a little at our friend's sudden appearance, but didn't say anything.

"We're good; they're gone." Bree whispered. I sighed in relief, tipping my head back against the wall, even as Kaz slid down the wall to the dirty ground below.

"You okay, buddy?" I asked, slightly concerned. He nodded, rubbing his ankle with a pained grimace on his face.

"Peachy." He grunted roughly. Bree sat down next to him.

"That's going to be sore in the morning." She commented, wincing as she sat.

"It's sore now." He retorted. He looked over at us, then frowned. "Dee, you have a little…"

He gestured vaguely at her face. She sighed and wiped the edge of her mouth, wrinkling her nose in disgust when she accidently tasted the blood from her split lip. "Jerks." She muttered. "It's fine. Just a scratch."

None of us were in particularly good shape, I noted, looking over all of them. My sister had taken a hard blow to the head before being knocked clean off her feet by one of the shapeshifters, another having come in immediately after to keep her down. I was fairly sure Kaz had at least sprained his ankle, but since considering the amount of pain he was in just trying to put weight on it, it was possible that the damage was far more extensive than I could tell from here. Skylar didn't look too bad, only appearing a little less beautiful than usual. That being said, she was holding her shoulder pretty tightly, and I was far from happy at the sight of the necklace of bruises around her neck. She'd just managed to defeat one of the shapeshifters (although it was obviously temporary, it was still a win for us) when another had charged her and threw her against the wall and tried to choke her out. She managed to get away on her own, but when I saw that shapeshifter again, he was going to pay for going after her. Out of all of us, I thought Bree had gotten the worst of it: one of the swarms had circled her, preventing her from using her super speed to her full potential and forcing her to fight one of the biggest, most powerful villains one of one. If she hadn't used her invisibility ability to fool the shapeshifter into thinking she'd managed to speed away, I doubted that she would have gotten away with just the various bruises and cuts she was sporting now. I, myself, was having a little trouble breathing, and I was all but certain that the cause was at least two broken ribs. Possibly, a third, though I wasn't quite sure of that one. Things had definitely not gone well, but considering how badly that fight had been stacked against us, I figured we got off easy.

"Is anyone dying?" I muttered, wanting to make sure I wasn't too far off with any of my guesses. Their responses came in the form of three no's and one very dramatic yes, assuring me that they were probably okay for now.

"We can't win." Bree murmured, sounding defeated. Skylar shook her head, a tired but determined look on her face.

"We can't give up." She insisted, despite the wince on her face. I looked at her sharply.

"Is it broken?" I questioned, moving forward to examine it.

"I think so." She replied, dropping her uninjured hand to let me take a look.

"Look, Skylar, we all appreciate your faith in us, but face it. We're screwed." Kaz told her as I gently examined her arm and shoulder.

"Dislocated, not broken." I assured Skylar. I gave her a cautious look. "I can set it, but it's going to hurt. A lot."

"Just do it." She grunted. I grabbed her wrist, gave her an apologetic glance, then reset it. To her credit, she hardly flinched, though she was biting down on her lip pretty hard to keep from crying out. "T-Thanks." She let out a shaky breath after a moment, clutching her arm tightly.

"We'll get that sorted out for real later, alright?" I promised, though I wasn't sure if we'd even get the chance. The shapeshifters were relentless, and I had noticed one, ominious thing during their attack: there was no sign of Roman, Riker, or Reese. Which meant that they had either gone after the other superheroes, or they were planning something a lot more sinister, neither of which was reassuring.

"Anyone got a plan, then?" Bree questioned, looking around. She glanced at my sister. "Dani? You're quiet."

Dani shook her head. "Sorry. I thought I had something, but I don't." She replied. "Anyone else?"

"We might have something."

We all jumped when Chase suddenly appeared beside us, seeming to have come out of nowhere. "Holy…Chase!" Bree snapped, startled. He gave her a smirk.

"Sorry. I reconfigured one of the cyber masks to turn me invisible so I could come find you guys. Didn't mean to scare you." He apologized.

"How's Douglas?" Bree asked quickly. He gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Stable." He promised her. We all let out a sigh of relief at the good news. Just when we needed a little glimmer of goodness too.

"Where's Calla? She stay at the hospital with him?" Dani questioned.

"No, she had an idea for how we might beat Roddiseus and his kids. Here's the catch: we have to buy her time to let her do her thing." He explained.

"What idea?" I asked the obvious questioned. He shook his head.

"I don't know exactly. But she believes it will work, and I believe in her. Besides, no one else has anything we can use." He reasoned. We all exchanged looks, then nodded.

"How much time?" Bree questioned, getting to her feet. Chase sighed deeply.

"As much as we can." He replied.

So, essentially, Calla had run off with what was probably a crazy idea, without telling us what that idea was, and we had to try and survive long enough for her to put it into action. Well, say what you will about the girl, but she knew how to turn up the suspense.

"Alright." Kaz climbed to his feet. His face was serious, but determined, and a mirror of all of ours. "Let's kick some ass."

 **Xxx**

"Where'd they go?" Dani questioned when we stepped into the square. Oddly enough, the city was silent once again. "Seriously, where are they?"

"Right here." We turned to see Reese standing by the entrance to the subway, her fists balled as she glared at us. Behind her stood five of her brothers, all ready for a fight.

"Well, we were wondering where you'd run off." Skylar commented.

"Don't worry; we're not running now." On the opposite side of the square stood Roman, flanked by three girls and a guy.

"That's eleven." I realized, double-counting to make sure I hadn't missed anyone. That meant that Riker, and another of their siblings, were elsewhere, along with their father.

"Where are Riker and your other brother?" Chase questioned, even as we all fell back into a protective circle, making sure no one's back was exposed to one of the villains.

"Don't worry about our brothers. They're got their own mission." Roman told us, smirking sneakily.

"And Roddiseus? I'm sure he wants to brag about how he's beaten us, right?" Skylar questioned, obviously trying to keep them talking. The longer we could keep them busy by chatting rather than fighting, the better it would be for us. All the shapeshifters tensed at the sound of their father's name. "What's wrong? Is he still pissed that Dani kicked his butt?"

"Kicked his butt? Is that your nice way of saying murder?" Reese demanded, furious. We all stopped, confused.

"Wait, Roddiseus is dead?" Dani looked more confused than any of us, a shocked expression on her face. She glanced at me, her eyes wide and startled.

"It wasn't enough for you to take his powers away, but you had to kill him too?" Reese snapped at us.

"I-I wasn't trying to kill him." Dani looked beyond freaked right now. Kaz quickly took a step in front of her.

"You and your father murdered dozens of superheroes. He deserved what he got." He told Reese, coming to Dani's rescue.

"You will pay for what you've done." Roman declared.

"Oh yeah?" Skylar challenged. "Bring it."

 **Chase's POV**

The shapeshifters attacked immediately, desperate for their revenge. Five of the shifted into their swarm form and charged us, while the others hung back for a moment. I raised my hands, forming a force field around us. Luckily, since only half of them were attacking this time, I managed to keep them from overwhelming us. The force field did crack, as I expected, but not until most of the swarm had already hit us. The other six shapeshifters charged at us the moment my force field was down, and we were forced to break apart.

I leapt back as one of shapeshifters, a tall girl with her hair in a braid, raised her hands and blasted a ball of orange energy at me. I narrowly avoided it, but was unable to avoid the blast that came from Roman himself, the dark energy hitting me in the leg and bringing me down to the ground. I reacted instantly, whipping out my bo staff and swinging at them. I managed to knock the girl over, but Roman anticipated my movement and leapt over it. Nevertheless, it did give me the chance to get back to my feet, where I stood a better chance of winning. I spun my bo staff in one hand as they began to pelt me with energy blasts. I spun around, keeping the bo staff moving so that I could use it to deflect the blows.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others swept up in their own fights.

Kaz and Oliver were fighting back to back, surrounded by three shapeshifters, Roman, one of his brothers, and one of his sisters. Kaz had his hands raised, aiming a continuous stream of fire at the shapeshifter that faced him, while Oliver shot ice ball after ice ball at their enemies. But that didn't deter the shapeshifters. Like Dani, the girl had electricity-like powers, and consequently, she used her powers to surround them all in a ring of electrical energy, shooting out sparks to throw Kaz and Oliver off their guard every so often. Meanwhile, her two brothers faced off against the boys, the first using fire-like blasts against Oliver's ice balls, while Roman fluctuated between dodging Kaz's fire stream and shooting ball of energy at said superhero.

Dani was near the center of the square, taking on two swarms at once. They circled her at speeds that could rival my sister, one diving in every few seconds to take her out. Dani was struggling to keep up, barely managing to duck in time then shoot a bolt of lightning at the other swarm to keep it from shooting out at her.

Bree's fight, on the other hand, was almost impossible to see. The two swarms she was struggling with had surrounded her completely, threatening to swallow her up as they prevented her from using her super speed properly. I could barely see her, fighting in the center. She was moving as fast as she possibly could, her entire body a blur as she spun, kicked, and swung her fists, desperately trying to keep the swarm off of her.

Skylar's opponents seemed to be the only ones having a bit of a hard time keeping up with her. While they were more powerful, Skylar was using her gymnastic skills and her ridiculous flexibility to avoid their attacks, while simultaneously preparing one of her own. None of her blows were landing – they were using their powers to deflect her blasts – but neither were any of theirs. But even from here, I could see that she was tiring out, and fast.

I spun around, twirling my bo staff to deflect another blast from one of the shapeshifters, only for the other shapeshifter to shoot a ball of energy at me. This time, it managed to hit its mark, the blow to my shoulder enough to knock me to the ground, causing me to lose my grip on the bo staff. I jumped to my feet, but the siblings were expecting it. The girl with the braids turned into a swarm and blew through me, throwing me back to the dirty ground.

I pushed myself back to my feet, just in time to watch as a swarm, too big to just be one shapeshifter, fly into Dani and then at a nearby wall. I didn't see her hit the wall – the swarm had pretty much swallowed her up by that point – but I did see her fall to the ground once they'd finished. She did not get up.

"Dee!" Oliver shouted. The momentary distraction was enough for the shapeshifter he was fighting to blast him in the chest with a ball of fiery energy, knocking him to the ground. Kaz was next, Roman and his sister combining their energy and electricity blasts to throw him into the wall near Dani.

"Guys!" Luckily for Bree, it seemed that the distraction of taking out three of our team was enough for her to escape the swarms she was fighting. She sped away from them, past me, to their sides. Skylar and I fell back, even as the three slowly climbed to their feet.

"Are you alright?" I demanded. They all gave me breathless nods, ready to continue fighting, despite the fact that they were obviously running on fumes. We turned to face the shapeshifters, all of whom had shifted back into their human bodies. The eleven villains looked at us, cocky and triumphant.

I glanced at the others, and made a decision. Despite everything, despite the fact that this was very likely our last stand, they wouldn't run, and even though Calla had begged me to, I couldn't either, even if it meant dying here and now. As Dani had said, if we're going to go down, we might as well go down together.

"Give up!" Reese laughed, reminding me too much of her father. "You've lost."

"Never." Skylar growled, standing shoulder to shoulder with me.

"My sister is right." Roman declared. He raised a hand, a purple ball of energy, about the size of a basketball, appearing in his hand. "My family has beaten you."

He raised his hand, ready to throw the energy ball at us, ready to resume the fight, but before he could, something completely random happen: a pair of red lasers shot past his face, missing his nose by barely a centimeter. The shapeshifters all started, confused, but we were just as baffled as they were.

Until one voice called out from behind them. "You're not the only one with a family, Roman!"

We all turned to look past them, and saw what had to be the most amazing thing in the world at that moment. Calla walked forward, wielding her proton disks, and flanked closely by Adam and Leo, my brother and step brother glaring at the shapeshifters. To Leo's immediate left were Katherine, Jaden, Spin, and Bob, all prepared to fight. On Adam's side stood Kieran, holding his own bo staff furiously, Rio and Taylor, both girls looking particularly deadly, and Logan and Kate, the pair keeping their eyes on the shapeshifters as they approached them. Just behind them came Alivia McLean, along with what could only be her team. A tall girl with brown hair stood at her right, obviously her number two, while a tall, blonde haired guy in red and a short, dark haired girl in all-black clothing stood side by side. A curly haired boy in a sweater vest (okay, some of these superhero costumes were just weird) and a pale girl with white hair followed behind, trailed by Crossbow and another archer.

"So," Calla mused, ignoring everyone's amazement. "What were you saying about having us beat?"

 **Oliver's POV**

Earlier today, I had thought that we had no chance of winning this fight. And now, I didn't see how we could lose. Between our efforts and those of Liv's new team and the bionic heroes from California, the shapeshifters were almost easy to fight. They'd always relied on their numbers – it was their biggest advantage – but now that the tables had turned, you could practically see them sweating as they tried to figure a way out of this.

"Give it up, Roman!" I called, cornering him near the subway. It was obvious that he was trying to escape through the tunnels – I was willing to bet that they'd been using them as some sort of a base – but Alan stopped the villain, having shapeshifted himself (and by the way, how the hell did _he_ survive the attack on Mighty Med?). Now in the form of a lion, he stood in front of the entrance to the subway, pawing at the ground impatiently. "Look, it's over."

"Come quietly and no one has to get hurt." Calla's friend, Kieran, added. Roman looked between us, a hateful glare on his face.

"Never." He refused. He spun around shot a blast of energy at me. I avoided it just as Alan leapt on top of her, using his weight to pin him to the ground. Roman struggled beneath him for a moment, then suddenly, Alan was thrown into the air by the force of one of his energy blasts. He landed on top of Kieran, knocking the bionic boy to the ground. I leapt into action, shooting at Roman with my cryoblast. At first, it seemed to work, but then he lunged forward, spinning on his heel at the last minute to aim a spinning kick at my face. The blow never connected, however, as he suddenly lost his balance and then floated into the air. Kieran stood up, his hand raised and a look of concentration on his face.

"You ready to behave now?" He questioned, using his gravity manipulation powers to hover the evil shapeshifter even farther from the ground. Roman threw his hands out, to throw another energy ball our way, but at the last second Kieran released him, and he fell six feet to the ground with a loud, painful thud. Before he could even think of getting up again, though after that fall I would have stayed down for a bit, I placed my foot on his back, preventing any attempts to escape. "We did warn you." I told him, waving my hand at Alan, who'd shifted back into his human form, to hand me the power-blocking cuffs that we'd taken from mission command. Alan shook his head, then looked pointedly down at Roman.

"I'm a superhero too, you know." He pointed out. I raised my hands and let Alan put the criminal in handcuffs. Once he stepped away, I hoisted Roman to his feet and forced him back into the square, where the others were rounding up the other shapeshifters. Some of the fights had been easier than others, I suspected, judging by the way Spin, the youngest of the bionic heroes, was talking excitedly with Spotlight and Barry, while Alivia, Scarlet Ace, and Bob looked a little worse for wear.

"We will get our revenge." Roman growled as I pushed him down to sit between two of his sisters.

"Like I haven't heard that before." Alivia commented, rolling her eyes. She walked over to me. "Alright, that's ten."

"Make that eleven!" Leo shouted, parading into the square with Crossbow and Adam right behind, the latter carrying a furiously struggling Reese over his shoulder, fireman style. He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground next to Roman, the girl shooting daggers at us with her eyes.

"Go to hell!" She spat angrily.

"But then we'd be hot all the time and it's impossible to sleep when you're too hot." Adam replied with a shrug. Kieran sister, Rio, gave him a look.

"I love how that's your problem with hell." She laughed lightly.

"Alright, so that's eleven." Logan counted. "I thought that Rod dude had thirteen kids."

"See? Rod is just easier!" I insisted, earning a half grin from my sister.

"That's what Calla told us." Taylor added, frowning. "Do you think a couple of them escaped?"

"If they did, I am thinkin' it's gonna be hard to grab 'em again. Where could 'ey have gone?" Katherine questioned.

"I have an idea about that." Scarlet Ace spoke up. She glanced at Alivia. "Chances are, Riker and his other sibling ran back to Dr. Wrath once they realized that they were going to lose."

"Dr. Wrath?" Kaz questioned, confused. "We beat him already."

"It's a long story." Barry explained.

"Oh, by the way, I've got a question." Dani interrupted. She pointed over to the other end of the group of villains, where Spotlight and Rani Shore were talking. Well, actually it looked more like bickering from here. "Why is evil-me here?"

"We're trying something out." Alivia explained vaguely, shrugging. "So far, she hasn't killed anyone yet, so I think it's going well."

"Liam would disagree." Scarlet Ace chuckled lightly, watching the two. Alivia scoffed.

"Oh, please. Ten buck says that, after he's gotten over his whole mistrust thing, they end up making out on Melody's couch." She waved her hand. "Trust me, the whole polar opposite thing? Totally his type."

"You're on, Red." Scarlet Ace replied in a sing song voice before walking off to go talk to Crossbow and the white haired girl I could only assume was Melody 'Frostbite' Robins, the newest member of Alivia's team.

"Well, for the record, I don't like her." Calla offered as she and Skylar came over. Dani chuckled and fist bumped the genius

"And that is why you and I are such good friends." My sister told her. I looked at Skylar and noticed that she was back to holding her shoulder.

"Hey," I drew her aside, putting my hand on her good arm, "how are you holding up? The pain bad?"

"I wouldn't mind getting it sorted out." She admitted. I nodded.

"Alright, sure. We can go back to the penthouse, and I'll grab our medical supplies…crap." I stopped. "The medical supplies which is inside the storage tunnel in Mission Command. We need MISS to open it." I looked over at Calla. "Hey, how long do you think it'll take for you to get MISS up and running?"

To my dismay, she shook her head. "It's not that simple… I took a look at her hard drive while Chase and I were waiting for Douglas' ambulance. Reese completely fried her systems. For all intensive purposes, MISS is dead. It'll take me at least a month or two to rebuild her system. But I can probably get the main computer system back up in a few hours if I have to. Why?"

"I need my med kit from the storage tunnel." I explained. I looked around, noting how worn out the others were. Many of them looked to have at least minor injuries, with people like Kaz and Skylar having some more pressing ones. "A lot of us have injuries that need to be dealt with, and it'll be hard enough explaining how we got them to a nurse or doctor without putting an alien in the mix."

Surprisingly, Calla smiled. "Then I guess it's a good thing that your med kit isn't in Mission Command." She commented. I looked at her, confused. "C'mon, I've got something to show you guys."

 **Xxx**

As soon as a few of Alivia's friends from UPSEI showed up to take Roman, Reese, and their siblings away, Calla dragged all twenty-five of us into an old Davenport Industries warehouse, refusing to explain along the way what she wanted to show us. We came with her cautiously, with no idea what to expect, and when she had to scan her handprint just to enter the building, it confused us even more. But when we saw what awaited us inside…well, nothing could have prepared us for that.

The floors were white, pristine and obviously new, while the walls were tall and painted a pleasant shade of light blue. There were two floors to the building, balconies surrounded three of the four walls to this room, with doorways leading down long, light blue hallways. At the center of the room was a large, rectangular reception area, with a pair of computers sitting on the counter. The east wall had four capsules against it, a control panel in front of them, while the west wall was lined with half a dozen hospital beds, with a variety of medical equipment. But the most incredible part of it was the large, lit up, red and white M on the wall opposite of us.

Calla watched all of us anxiously as we examined the room. After a long, stunned into silence moment, Kaz finally spoke up. "Calla…what is this?"

"Well, I was thinking we could call it Mighty Med 2.0." She replied before quickly going into a ramble. "So, remember when I got all that money from my government contract? Well, I was thinking, Mighty Med was the only place for superheroes to get medical attention, and for bionic heroes, the only places with the proper equipment is Davenport's house and the Academy, which, if we're on a mission or here in Centium City, could be really out of the way, so I thought, why not rebuild the place? Now, I know I can't replace all the equipment you had before, but I think this is a pretty good start, and-"

"You rebuilt Mighty Med." Dani said slowly, cutting her off. Calla went quiet and nodded.

"I like it." Alan commented. I glanced at him in surprise, having never heard him say that sentence without the word "don't" in the middle of it.

"This is amazing, Calla." I commented, absolutely floored. It was so much like the original. I mean, sure, there were the obvious differences – the shape of the ER, the bionic equipment, and the shade of blue on the walls – but it felt just like Mighty Med had: like home. I could almost hear the buzz of heroes like Tecton or Blue Tornado in the halls, and I could practically see Horace turn the corner.

"So, you like it?" Calla questioned.

"Duh." Alivia retorted for us. She, along with Skylar, Spotlight, Scarlet Ace, and Crossbow were staring at the room before us with longing expressions on their faces, while Barry, Melody, and Rani, the newer heroes (though it was debatable whether that last name belonged on that list) and all of the bionic heroes looked around curiously. "This is incredibly done."

"Well, I'm glad you like it. Because it's yours." Calla declared. We looked at her. "Don't give me that look; you guys are the doctors, not me. And while Davenport Industries will be funding it, it should be run by someone who really cares about it. You guys were doctors at the original, Dani, Kaz, Oliver. This place belongs to you, not me."

"Are you serious?" I looked at her. She nodded.

"Mighty Med is your thing. Do what you want with it, hire who you want, hell, re-paint if you'd like. It's all yours." She assured us. "But if you do repaint…I'm not helping."

I chuckled in amusement as she walked over to the bionic capsules to show the other bionic heroes what she'd done with them. Dani hopped up on the counter between us, looking around in amazement.

"Mighty Med is back." She said with a smile, swinging her legs excitedly.

"This is going to be weird without Horace here." Kaz commented. I nodded.

"Yeah. This is going to be different, that's for sure." I agreed. Everything was going to be different now, what with the shapeshifters in prison, and Calla and Chase getting married next week, and now Mighty Med 2.0. This was going to change a lot of things, but though I was usually opposed to big changes – they were rarely good – I was actually pretty excited to see where these changes took us.

 **Kihonne: Alright, let me hear it. I want to know what you guys thought of everything, from Calla's plan to Mighty Med 2.0. What was your favorite part? Seriously, let me know. Oh, sorry that I didn't really get to focus too much on the reunions, and that some of the more-liked characters didn't get much screen/page time, but don't worry, most of them will be back next week for the wedding chapter, so you'll get to see a little more of them then. Oh, and before I forget, here's the schedule for the last chapter of season 1, and the beginning of season 2:**

 **May 15** **th** **: I Do**

 **May 22** **nd** **: Live with Gus and Rebeccka!**

 **May 29** **th** **: Bad Ideas**

 **June 5** **th** **: Cabin Fever**

 **Anyway, I'm gonna crash since it's almost 1 in the morning, so until next week, don't forget to review, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	18. I Do

**Kihonne: Guys, I'm so sorry about the late update. It's a long story, but I'm taking some summer classes and the work piled up unexpectedly. Hopefully it won't happen again, now that I'm back in my usual routine. Anyway, thanks for being patient with me about the update, and here is the long-awaited wedding of Calla Parker and Chase Davenport. But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Mrs. Morgan 35: Eventually, yes, but they're just getting married. They're not ready for kids yet.**

 **Mannygamer34: Alright, usually I don't answer questions or reviews on past stories, but since I know you're likely to see this, I'll make an exception. The reason I didn't have Leo and Taylor together was because I'd always be planning to have Taylor be with Kieran, even before we knew she was going to turn good. I just always thought they'd be cute together, and by time we saw any sign of Leo and Taylor actually being close, I'd already made up my mind as to who she would end up with. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too!**

 **SzymonS: I'm so glad you liked it! I figured, with the way the shapeshifters have been involved in both stories, and the fact that Alivia's team has more reason to want them put away than the bionic army, it made sense to bring both groups to the party. Yes, Alan finally showed his powers. Don't worry; he'll get to use them more in Love and War. As for Dani's plan, you will find out what she was thinking. She thought she had an idea, but for reason, it didn't work. Dani is going to want to know why it didn't work, and when she goes looking for that answer, you'll get to hear her plan. But you will get a bit of a sneak peek at what it might involve in this chapter. Yes, in two weeks, we'll have the Q &A for the story. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story, especially the ending, and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Amazingchichi747: Well, I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much, especially the Mighty Med 2.0. I really hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: First off, congratulations about the new addition to your family. Seriously, congrats. Oh, and I think Ella Rose is just the cutest name ever. Yes, Dani killed Roddiseus. Rough is certainly a way to put it. I needed him out of the way though, and well, there's a reason I chose Dani to kill him, and it wasn't just because of the flashlight hands. That action is going to follow her and have an effect on a number of her decisions and thoughts in the second season. And yes, poor Douglas. But, seeing as he's been through a lot, I'll throw him a bone. You'll see what I mean soon. I'm glad you liked me bringing back that nostalgic line – I figured that if they ever needed a reminder like that, it would be then. And you're right; it is just like her to do something like that. I agree, it was genius of her to pull everyone together, because honestly, why fight the shapeshifters alone when they didn't have to? Mighty Med 2.0 is going to be fun to have around. Not only does it fill the gap that we're missing, but it also give a more Mighty Med World feel to the show. Not to mention, I have at least one chapter in season 2 set almost completely within the hospital, and it's going to be like we're back in the old show. And yes, we're finally at the long-awaited wedding chapter. It's going to be interesting, so I hope you like it.**

 **Layla: I'm so glad you liked it! I had Mighty Med 2.0 in Centium City for a reason – Oliver, Kaz, and Dani won't have to go far to work there. There's still going to be part of the team, they're just going to have more responsibilities now. I'm so glad you're excited! Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **LabGirl2001: I know, right? I wasn't too pleased when I saw that no one, not even me, was getting the alerts. I'm so glad you liked the chapter, especially Calla's idea and Mighty Med 2.0. I'm particularly excited about the latter, because I'm going to have an adventure or two set almost completely in the hospital, and it's really going to feel like we're back in the Mighty Med series! And yes, the wedding is here! I'm so glad you're excited, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **NotAtAllCrazy: Yes, they met Alan! I'm so glad you liked the chapter so much. Please enjoy this one.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I know it didn't. I'm not happy about it either – I can't just count of my readers to find out by accident about the chapters. I'm sure fanfiction will have the problem fixed by time I post this one. Sucks about losing your tabs – I know the pain of trying to track down a story that was hard to find in the first place. But I'm glad my chapter cheered you up. I'm so glad you liked Calla's plan, and Mighty Med 2.0. The latter is going to be really fun to have in the story. I'm glad you're excited about the wedding, the Q &A, and season 2. No, I will not be giving Jaden powers, partially because he's not back permanently, and partially because I like Jaden using weapons since it gives Calla a reason to design more cool weapons. As for Dani's plan, you're going to get a little hint as to what it is in this chapter, and then she's going to deal with it in the season 2 premier, Bad Ideas. I'm afraid I don't know any other OC stories, since most of them do get cancelled. Sorry, wish I could be more help. Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!**

 **EliteForce12: I'm so glad you liked it so much! I thought Calla's plan would be fun for everyone, and I'm glad you like the new Mighty Med 2.0. It's going to be fun writing Kaz, Dani, and Oliver in that type of environment again. I'm glad you're excited, and please enjoy the chapter!**

 **AUSTLLY007: I'm glad you liked it, but I hate to say that Jaden's not back permanently. He's going to be here for the wedding, then go back to the Academy with the others. As for his proposal, I'm afraid that's a long way off. But until then, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Emc Superbionics: I'm so glad you liked it! I thought Calla's plan would be cool – having everyone come back together…it was just a really nice touch. Mighty Med 2.0 is going to be a lot of fun to work with. I've already got a couple of chapters set inside the hospital, and it's really going to feel like we're back in the old show. As for what's next…well, you're going to get a little bit of a sneak peek at the end of the chapter. Anyway, enjoy the wedding!**

 **Guest: Here you are.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: I'm glad you liked it so much. Please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Darth Becky 726: I'm so glad you liked it so much, especially everyone's entrances. That had to be one of my favorite lines I've written for the series. And yes, the wedding! Let's hope the rum isn't gone yet (I may not be a big fan on the franchise, but even I know a Pirates of the Caribbean reference when I see one), and then yes, the Q &A. Don't worry about not reading it earlier, and don't blame your email – the site didn't send out emails to anyone for reasons I don't know. Do not worry, Calla and Chase's wedding is going to go just smoothly. I figure, I keep ruining their anniversary (between seriously injuring one of them, or sending them on a major, life threatening mission), so I figure I owe them the perfect wedding. I hope your weekend went as well as you expected, and may the Force be with you, Darth Becky.**

 **Starco975: Here's the update.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked it! Season 2 is going to be absolutely amazing – I've got so many plans, it's crazy. I'm so glad you liked Calla's plan and Mighty Med 2.0 – that's going to be fun to work with. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, on with the chapter!**

 **Chase: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, this chapter, all of the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Calla's POV**

"You look absolutely beautiful, honey." My mother gushed as she put away the hair spray bottle. We were in the mentor's room of the Bionic Academy, preparing for the wedding ceremony. Mom turned me towards the mirror, smiling proudly. "What do you think?"

"…I…wow." I'd never been that girl who dreamt about her perfect wedding, but if I had, I felt like this moment, me in my dress, about to walk down the aisle, this would be how it started.

"You look great." Bree offered, walking into the room, carrying four bouquets of calla lilies, three completely white while the last one, the biggest one, had deep blue flowers mixed in between the white ones.

"Great doesn't even cover it." Skylar added. I sent them a grateful smile, as well as at Dani. All three of them were already in their dresses, ready for the event, and looking at them, I was once again glad that I let them choose their own dresses. All three of them were deep blue, a shade similar to our mission suit colors, but each dress reflected their style, I thought. Bree's dress was long and flowing and strapless, giving her the appearance of a princess. Skylar's was a little more reserved, strapless on one side and ending just below her knees, and Dani's was sleeveless and cutting off a few inches higher.

"Alright, so Ollie says that they're all ready to go, and most of the guests have arrived." Dani announced, frowning as she communicated telepathically with her twin. She frowned. "The hell?"

"What's wrong?" I demanded, staring at her. She looked at Skylar.

"Who invited Gus?" She questioned, bewildered. Skylar looked equally confused, but unconcerned as she checked the guest list.

"Uh…a Rebeccka Fairweather." She commented. I sighed in relief, glad that nothing had gone wrong.

"Becky said she was starting a talk show with some guy she met while on vacation." I shrugged a little. "I think they're dating, but I honestly have no idea."

"Alright, so that's taken care of. The catering guys are all set." Bree listed carefully. "So, I guess we should go tell Tasha we're all ready."

"I'll do that." Mom told us. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Chase is a very lucky man."

"I keep telling him that." I replied as she left. I took a breath, then looked at myself in the mirror, subconsciously patting down my dress. I grimaced as my stomach turned.

"Breathe, Calla." Bree chuckled, bemused as she noticed my nervousness. "You look like you did right before you did your first Call."

"God, I nearly puked." I muttered, before smirking when I saw Skylar and Dani trying to figure out what we were referring to. "Why am I nervous? It's weird; I shouldn't be nervous."

"Hey, chill." Bree looked at me sternly. I nodded and took a deep breath.

"You're probably just nervous because your last few anniversaries went tragically bad. I mean, didn't Chase end up in the hospital last time?" Dani questioned. I turned to stare at her, incredulous.

"You are not helping." I insisted.

"Sorry." She apologized sheepishly, sitting on the couch and looking at her phone.

"Ignore her, and just relax. It's going to be perfect." Skylar promised. I nodded and let out a breath.

"Right. Perfect." I agreed, as if saying it would make the butterflies in my stomach disappear.

"Right." Bree agreed. Her phone vibrated and she looked at me. "Everyone else is ready to go. Your dad's waiting outside. Game time?"

I took another deep breath, the nodded. "Game time."

 **Chase's POV**

"Quit fidgeting." Leo scolded gently, amused to see that I was constantly readjusting my tie. I glanced at him, then back down the aisle. Most of our guests had sat down in their seats, an interesting mixture of heroes and 'Normo' (as Kaz and Oliver put it) friends and family. Daniel was already flirting with Jessica Henderson and Kaitlin Mulligan, while Kaz and Oliver had already found themselves in a deep conversation with Rebeccka's date. "Chase, stop."

"Sorry." I muttered. Leo chuckled lightly.

"You're nervous?" He guessed. I nodded in confirmation, and he chuckled some more. "Bree just texted me; Calla's as bad as you are."

I sighed. This was the perfect day for this; we'd chosen to have the wedding out on the artificial beach of the Academy, with the reception in the cafeteria, and the weather couldn't be more perfect. Sunny, but just the right temperature so that people were comfortably warm but not sweaty from the sun. Almost everyone we'd invited had arrived, and according to Bree, everything was going according to plan on her end.

"It's stupid. What do I have to be nervous of?" I questioned rhetorically. Adam answered anyway.

"Well, the last wedding Oliver and Kaz went to, a bunch of supervillains showed up and tried to kill everyone before the bride became the queen of all evil." He offered unhelpfully. Mr. Davenport, Leo, Jaden, and I all stared at him. "Sorry."

"No, you're not." Jaden accused, rolling his eyes. He looked at me. "But hey, it's CeeCee. What are the odds of her turning into a supervillain?"

"Have you met the girl? She could and would take over the world if she had the resources." Leo retorted.

"But she doesn't, so she won't." Jaden insisted. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the crowd. The bionic students clearly outnumbered the rest of our guests, but it looked like everyone was getting along. Faith, Calla's cousin, was already chatting it up with Taylor and Logan, something about one of Calla's new weapon designs. Douglas, having been out of the hospital for a few days now, was in the front row with his date, Dana. I had to give it to him – he was temporarily blind and only out of the hospital for three days, and yet he was still able to convince the pretty hospital receptionist to go out with him. There was an entire row empty near the back, though that wasn't much of a surprise. We'd invited Alivia and her new team, but we all knew that saving the world came before anything else, so it had always been fifty-fifty odds whether or not they showed.

Suddenly, the music began to play, signaling that the girls were on the way.

"Take a deep breath – if you pass out, it's really going to put a damper on things.." Jaden advised gently as Tasha walked down the aisle, Naomi in her hands. My younger sister giggled pleasantly, using her tiny fists to grab flower petals from Tasha's free hand and throw them gleefully to the floor. Next, after Tasha took her seat next to Calla's mother, came Bree, Dani, and Skylar, all three dressed in pretty blue dresses and carrying small bouquets. They moved to stand opposite of us. Then came Calla.

I knew every word in every language on Earth, and yet I could not find any that could even come close to describing how beautiful she was. She floated down the aisle, her long, angelic white dress sliding across the floor as if I were in a dream. A faint, simple, but elegant, floral design covered the bottom of the strapless dress, one of her bare arms looped with her father's. Her face was covered by a thin, silky veil, but even I could see the smile on her face.

"Oh God." I murmured, absolutely floored. Calla's father led her up to the stage, where my bride handed her bouquet to Bree.

"Don't screw this up." Calla's father advised me, not unkindly. I chuckled lightly; he'd never liked me very much, but I felt that his opinion of me had improved since I went to ask him about marrying Calla.

"Dad!" Calla scolded as she stepped back over to me. Her father chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her on the top of her head, carefully avoiding the veil.

"You look beautiful, angel." He told her before moving to sit down besides her mother. I gently raised Calla's veil, revealing her bright, beautiful blue eyes.

"He can say that again." I murmured. She blushed deeply, a nervous smile on her face.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Adam clapped his hands together and looked out at the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Adam Davenport and I'll be leading this ceremony today."

"They know who you are." Bree hissed. Calla gave me a look.

"Remind me again why we let your brother marry us." She hissed.

"Because the real minister backed out at the last minute." I replied.

"Friends and family, we gather here today to witness and celebrate the union of Calla Alexandria Parker and Chase Donald Davenport in marriage." He announced, reading off the cue cards Bree had made him read half a dozen times before the ceremony. "They've been through a lot together over the past few years, but today, they solidify that partnership and vow to continue along their lifelong adventure as husband and wife."

"Wow, Bree, you really did a good job of writing that for him." Skylar murmured to my sister.

"So, this is the part where my sister wanted me to say some really sappy stuff, but that's boring, so I'm just going to wing it." To prove his point, Adam tossed the cue cards over his shoulder. I groaned; I should have known this was going to happen. "Alright, so about six years ago, Mr. Davenport decided that we needed a friend, and so he paid Calla to be that friend. Actually, he paid her to babysit us, even though Bree and I were both older than her. And then there we were, standing alone in the lab, no idea what to do next because the only board game we had was Yahtzee, and Calla outright refused to play that game for reasons I still don't understand."

Calla covered her mouth to one hand, trying to suppress her laughter. Many of the guests were openly chuckling at Adam's improvised introduction. "And that's when Chase met Calla. As most of you know, they're pretty much inseparable now, and for good reason. I may have questioned Calla's taste in guys since the moment Leo told us they were making out in the lab, but anyone with eyes can see how perfect they are for each other. And after all the craziness they've had to put up with, and all the psychopaths who have tried to kill them, they're still together. The odds have been against them for years – I mean, just take a look at their anniversary record – but they've beat them all." He continued, more serious but still smiling. "And that's what we're here to celebrate today. Because if there are any two people in the world who deserve to be together, it's Calla and Chase. And God help anyone who tries to tear them apart."

I smiled, flattered. Okay, so maybe Adam put a little more thought into this than I thought. Adam turned to me, smiling.

"Do you, Chase Davenport, accept Calla Parker as your partner in life and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to support her in her successes and her failures, in sickness and in health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" He asked me. I took a deep breath, blinking at the suspicious prickling in my eyes.

"I do." I had to force my voice not to shake. Adam nodded and turned to Calla, my bride's hands shaking with anticipation.

"And do you, Calla Parker, accept Chase Davenport as your partner in life and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to support him in his successes and his failures, in sickness and in health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" He asked. She nodded shakily.

"I Do." She told him, her voice full of emotion. Adam nodded and stepped back, allowing AJ to come forward and present us with the ring box. I took Calla's ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger.

"I love you, Calla Parker." I told her softly. She took my ring and followed suit, gently moving it onto my correct finger.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." She told me. Adam chuckled.

"And now, by the power invested in me by a random site on the internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Adam declared loudly. "You may now kiss your bride."

"Gladly." I muttered, pushing my lips against hers. Her lips moved against mine, soft and gentle, before pulling away at the sound of everyone breaking into applause.

"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Chase Davenport!" Adam declared as I pulled Calla to my side.

 **Dani's POV**

"Well, that certainly was an interesting ceremony." I laughed, following the others into the cafeteria that had been designated as the reception area. "I mean, Adam beats Gus as an officiant any day."

"Definitely." Ollie agreed, looping his arm through Skylar's, just as Chase helped Calla stand up on one of the tables.

"Alright ladies! It's the moment you've all been waiting for!" She announced, waving her bouquet in the air for all to see. Bree beamed and dragged me and Skylar into the center of the room, where most of the girls were beginning to gather. We ended up stuck in the middle, right next to Kate and Rio, the latter dressed in a pretty pink dress while the former wore a yellow floral patterned skirt and blouse. "One, two, three!"

Calla threw the bouquet over her head and into the crowd. We all reached to catch it, but it was Skylar who managed to grab a hold of it.

"Congrats." I laughed, noticing the dirty looks she was getting from the other girls. Skylar turned the bouquet around in her hands, confused.

"What for? All I did was catch the flowers." She commented, frowning deeply. "And a better question: why would she throw them in the first place?"

"Oh my God, I forgot you don't always know about these customs." Bree laughed, shaking her head.

"Someone might wanna tell my brother about that." I suggested, nodding at Ollie. He was staring at the bouquet in Skylar's hands, his expression an amusing mixture of excitement and pure terror. "Because I don't think he's ready for marriage just yet."

"Wait, I have to marry him?!" Skylar demanded, eyes going wide.

 **Calla's POV**

The night was amazing, from the moment it started. The ceremony was incredible – Adam handled that absolutely wonderfully – and then my and Chase's first dance…it was absolutely flawless.

"All danced out?" My husband (I love that word so much) asked as I sat down next to him at our table. I laughed lightly as he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Bree's exhausting." I complained half-heartedly, watching my best friend twirl around the dance floor, forcing anyone she saw to dance with her. Leo, Kieran, Taylor, Katherine, Dani, Kaz, and Chase all laughed, nodding in agreement.

"Hey, isn't that Zoe?" Dani questioned, sitting down between Chase and Kaz.

"From the Olympic thing?" I questioned, looking around. Sure enough, dancing with Bob, Spin, AJ, was little Zoe Lalonde, that girl that competed against Bob in the mini Olympics. "Well, Bob did RSVP plus one…"

"Zoe, huh? She sounds nice." Taylor chuckled, shaking her head. "About time Bob has a crush on a girl his own age."

"I know, right?" I chuckled. The music changed then, to a slower song. Kieran looked at Taylor.

"Care to dance?" He asked, standing up and taking her hand. She smiled.

"Absolutely." She agreed, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor. Leo looked at Katherine.

"Do you wanna-" She shook her head, cutting him off.

"My feet hurt." She complained, kicking off her shoes. I looked back at the dance floor, where the couples had begun to dance. I smiled, seeing Mr. Davenport dance with Tasha while Adam babysat Naomi, and my parents who danced near the back. To my surprise, Logan and Kate were dancing (Leo had mentioned that they'd started to date, but I'd never given it much thought) and so had Jessica and her date, Owen.

Suddenly, Dani's cell phone went off. She grabbed it from her purse quickly, pausing when she saw the number on her caller ID.

"Everything alright?" Kaz asked, looking at her. She nodded and gave him a smile.

"Yeah, I just have to take this." She told him apologetically. She got up and started towards the bathrooms, where she'd be able to hear the call better. "Next song, we're dancing!" She called over her shoulder. Kaz grinned and got up.

"I'm going to go make sure the next song the DJ plays is the Chicken Dance." He declared, heading off to find the DJ Bree had hired.

"They're an interestin' couple." Katherine observed.

"That's one way to put it." Chase agreed. He glanced at his watch. "We're going to have to leave soon."

"For your honeymoon?" Skylar guessed as she and Oliver sat down.

"Yeah, we have to be at the airport in an hour." Chase replied.

"Which flight are we taking again?" I asked sweetly. He smirked.

"You'll find out when we get there." He told me. I groaned in annoyance.

"He still won't tell you where you're going?" Skylar guessed.

"No, and it's driving me nuts!" I exclaimed. Chase laughed and got up.

"I'm going to go say goodbye to Mr. Davenport and Tasha. I'll meet you at the car in ten minutes?"

"Okay." I agreed, leaning forward to kiss him before he went.

"Congratulations, Calla." Oliver told me sincerely. "You two deserve each other."

"Thank you." I smiled, then turned around in my seat so I was facing all of them directly. "Alright, Chase and I are going to be gone for three weeks. I need you guys to promise me that you won't do anything stupid while we're gone."

"Your faith in us is really touching. Really." Kaz told me, offended.

"Please, we all know that without some sort of supervision, one of you will either set the place on fire, freeze the entire Penthouse solid, or blow all the electricity in the building. And without MISS to keep an eye on you, I don't want to have to be stressed out the entire time about what's happening in our absence. So I need you to promise that you'll behave."

"We promise." Oliver assured me. I nodded.

"Dani too." I insisted. Skylar rolled her eyes.

"She's not going to do something stupid, Calla." She assured me.

 **Dani's POV**

Well, I was about to do something stupid.

I stared down at my phone, trying to decide whether or not to answer it. I'd been waiting for this call for a while now, but now that I was receiving it, I wasn't sure I wanted to get involved with this.

It had been a bad idea from a start, going down this path, and I knew it. But after everything that happened with Mighty Med being destroyed, and then Roman and Riker and Reese almost taking over Centium City, maybe this was actually for the best. I'd always believed that sometimes you had to make hard decisions in order to go anywhere in life, and this was no exception. Still, despite this, I was hesitant.

Kaz was out in the party, waiting for him. I could go back to him, go back to the music and the dancing, and pretend that I hadn't gotten this call. She would understand, surely, why I couldn't get involved, right?

I stared at the phone for a long moment, then made a decision I knew I would live to regret: I took the call. I slowly brought the phone up to my ear, then took a deep breath before answering it.

"Hi Mom."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: For a very long time, people have been asking me what my plans were with Bridget, and finally, you're all going to get to see what's gonna happen. Season 2 is going to be a very interesting season, that's for sure. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought about the chapter, about the ceremony, and about that ending. Oh and here's the schedule for the next few weeks:**

 **May 29** **th** **: Live with Gus and Rebeccka!**

 **June 5** **th** **: Bad Ideas**

 **June 12** **th** **: Cabin Fever**

 **Alright, so the Q &A is next week, and it's likely the only Q&A of the story, so here's a little refresher on the rules. You can submit as many questions as you'd like, to any character that's part of the story. I'll answer as many as I can, so long as they're appropriate, haven't been asked multiple times, and won't spoil anything major the story. In other words, Dani will not be answering any questions relating to that phone call, or the plan she had in Against the Odds. I'm afraid if you want answers about that, you're going to have to keep reading. Also, you are free to submit questions up until 11:00 PM EST on Monday, May 29** **th** **, (I'll be posting the chapter then) so send me questions! Send me all the questions you can think of, through review or by PM. Anyways, see you all next week!**


	19. Live with Gus and Rebeccka!

**Kihonne: And here we are, Live with Gus and Rebeccka, for the Power of Seven Q &A! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Eliteforce12: I'm so glad you enjoyed it, particularly Adam's speech. As for Dani's involvement with her mother…well, you should be scared. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Layla347: I know, right? I just thought it would be sweet if Adam did the officiant's speech. And as for Dani and Bridget, who knows? Whatever happens, it'll certainly be interesting.**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm so glad you liked it!**

 **LabGirl2001: Well, I'm happy that you enjoyed it so much! Yes, Adam is the best. I thought it would be nice to have him do it. Ooh, and all the different theories about what's going on with Dani. Honestly, I'm hoping that no one figures it out, because I really enjoy being able to absolutely stun my readers, and if I manage to keep everyone in the dark until the reveal moment, even I'll be impressed. But you should worry – things are going to get chaotic now that Dani's brought her mother back into the picture. Anyway, thanks for the questions, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Dream lighting: We're going to go more into depth as to what in the world Dani is feeling and thinking in the next chapter, so you're going to see more of that. And yes, Adam does the best wedding ceremonies. As for the location of their honeymoon, you'll get to find out next chapter.**

 **Libra Glitters: Thanks for the question! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Astronema2345: As we already discussed this via PM, I'll just say that I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **NotAtAllCrazy: Yes, they're married! It's finally happened! And yeah, I think Dani's call caught a lot of people off guard. Kaz won't find out what's going on for a while, but by time he does…well, things will have escalated. He's definitely going to be shocked, that's for sure. But as for marriage…well, that's a long way off, that's for sure, so I make no promises. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Young Films: God no, she's not pregnant yet. I wanna let her and Chase deal with marriage and everything else before they even think about kids.**

 **Mr. Smiles 537: Thanks for the question! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **NightAngel365: Believe me, I get it about school. Rod's death was a surprise to most, but I thought it would be interesting to see what the act of killing someone does to Dani. I'm glad you liked the final plan – I thought it would be a nice way to wrap things up, everyone coming back together for some much needed ass-kicking. Mighty Med 2.0 is going to be really fun. It's going to come into play more after the mid-season finale (yes, I even planned one of those) but it'll be really awesome to have it back. I've got a couple of Mighty Med themed chapters, one of which takes place almost completely in the hospital, and it's really going to feel like the old days. And yes, the wedding. We've all been waiting a long time for this moment. I'm so glad you liked it, especially Calla's dress. I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much. And the phone call…oh, Dani, what are you getting yourself into? I would be disappointed in myself if I didn't properly wrap up the Bridget storyline – the way the show did was just pathetic. You're right about it being a dark path to walk down. As for her motives, that's something you're going to have to read to find out on your own. Hey, don't worry about extra long chapters; I LOVE longer, more details reviews. And as for your question, I'll answer it up here. While Anna Kendrick would be a nice pick, I've always thought that Danielle Campbell would be a good Calla. Appearance-wise, she's very close to what I've always pictured in my head when I've thought about Calla, and she's an amazing actress. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: I know it was a lot. Oh my God, you're making me baby crazy right now. And you're right; Douglas does need a break. I figured the blindness only being temporary and the cute receptionist would give him what he deserves. And yeah, their freak outs were amusing. The way I see it though is that when they're fighting, then they don't have time to think about it, but with something like a wedding, where there's hours before the actually ceremony, they begin to overthink it, and that's why they freak. It's crazy how much they're been through together, and how much we've all been through with them. It's crazy to think how long this story has been going, and the relationships that have built within it. I'm glad you enjoyed the part with the bouquet – I thought it would be funny. And then Dani…well, I'll let you wrap your head around that before I say anything else. It's going to be a wild ride though. Anyway, I'll add your question to the list, and please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla: Yeah, Bridget was definitely the last thing anyone expected. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and hope you like this one just as much. Oh, and sorry I skipped the question about the honeymoon – it's just that the next chapter is going to have Calla and Chase still on their honeymoon, so I can't say yet.**

 **Guest: Thanks for the questions! Enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks! Enjoy!**

 **Hxghtide: Thanks for the questions! Please enjoy the chapter!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked the chapter. Thank you for the questions, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Patty66: Welcome, and thanks so much. Thank you for the questions, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **GU3ST: I'm glad you're excited, and as for the date, obviously I meant June.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter, especially Adam's speech. I thought he'd be able to provide the right level of sweetness to the ceremony. And yes, the bouquet part…well, I knew someone would have to catch it, and I figured Skylar would be the best. As for Calla's next invention, she's going to start working on something really soon. I won't say what it is, but it's going to be really cool. Oh, and thank you so much for your kind words at the end of your review – you really know how to make a girl's day. Anyway, thanks for the questions, and please enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: You're right about that – most villains start out wanting to do good. Let's see where this takes Dani, shall we? I'm glad you enjoyed the wedding, especially how realistic it was. I work part-time as a caterer, so I get to see a lot of weddings fist hand, so it wasn't so hard to make it look realistic. As for your questions, thank you for them. I will not, however, be answering the question concerning Bridget, because no parent, not even one as screwed up as Bridget, could actually decide between their kids like that. Sorry if that's not what you wanted, but that's the best I can do. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Rebeccka & Gus: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all of the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

"Welcome!" Gus clapped his hands together as the lights came on to reveal he and Rebeccka sitting together at a large desk that had been placed where the TV used to sit.

"We're live with Gus and Rebeccka!" Rebeccka declared, smiling at the camera. "I'm Rebeccka, and this is my new co-host, Gus!"

"We've got quite the show for you guys, but first, let's introduce our guests!" Gus decided. He looked at his cue cards. "First, she's your favorite tomboy with a shocking personality – shocking, get it – she's Dani Short!"

Dani walked down the stairs, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the graphic design of the British flag on it. She took a seat near the far left of the couch, then frowned at Gus and Rebeccka. "Wait a sec…what happened to the TV?"

"Who knows?" Rebeccka shrugged. "Next up…well, she's fast, she's flirty, she's…Bree Davenport!"

Bree came down the stairs next, dressed in a short, white sundress and matching heels. She took a seat on the blue chair. "Becky, good to see you again."

"Next up is the only guy in Logan High history to fail Lunch, Kaz Broadman!" Gus declared. Kaz came jogging down the stairs, wearing a plaid shirt. He sat down on Dani's left, frowning.

"How'd you guys even get that desk in here?" He questioned, confused.

"You guys ask a lot of questions. Moving on!" Rebeccka clapped her hands together. "Next up we have everyone's favorite weapons designer, the newly married Calla Davenport!"

Calla slowly walked down the stairs, donning a pretty white dress and a jean jacket. She sat down on the couch, near Bree's chair. "Hey everyone. How's it going?"

"Now we have the shorter of the Short twins, and arguably the smartest, Oliver Short!" Gus announced. Oliver came down the stairs next, wearing his best, dark blue golf tee. He sat down next to Dani, a peeved look on his face.

"She's only taller than me by half an inch!" He protested. "It shouldn't even count!"

"It counted to the guy at the amusement park who let me on the rollercoaster and not you." Dani teased.

"I didn't even want to go on the rollercoaster!" Oliver protested. Rebeccka laughed.

"And next, we have our resident super genius and potential future president, Chase Davenport!" She announced. Chase came down the stairs, wearing a dark colored blazer. He sat down next to Calla, taking her hand.

"I have to say, I like the sound of future president." He admitted.

"Now we have our favorite eleven-toed alien girl, Skylar Storm!" Gus announced proudly. Skylar came down the stairs, wearing a blue skirt and a white blouse. She sat down between Chase and Oliver.

"I hope you guys put the TV back." She commented, crossing one leg over the other.

"And finally, we have our favorite intruder, and Calla's new assistant, AJ Henig!" Rebeccka announced. The younger boy raced down the stairs, wearing a red shirt. He sat down on one of the stools, between Bree and Calla.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Gus grinned. "The first set of questions come from LabGirl2001. Alright, everyone, who is your favorite member of the team? And who, aside from your significant others and siblings, is your favorite?"

"Well, Kaz, obviously, and then…Calla." Dani decided. Bree thought about it.

"Skylar for both." She decided.

"Dani, duh, then Oliver." Kaz answered.

"Chase for sure, and then Bree…wait, she's my sister in law. Does that count?" Calla questioned, frowning. Gus shrugged. "Uh, if she doesn't count, then Kaz."

"Skylar's my girlfriend, so she's my favorite, then Kaz because he's my best friend." Oliver answered.

"First of all, Calla…" Chase thought about the answer for a moment. "And then Oliver probably."

"Oliver, and then Dani." Skylar replied.

"Calla because she lets me mess with Chase." AJ grinned widely.

"Alright, next question!" Rebeccka said happily. "What is your ultimate dream?"

"That's a tough one." Chase observed.

"Well, mine is to become a brilliant inventor one day." AJ answered.

"My ultimate dream would be to see my home planet, Caldera, at peace again, as if the war never happened." Skylar replied.

"Mine would be to save the environment." Chase decided. "I love technology, but I want to use it to try and stop pollution."

"To be the greatest superhero doctor this world has ever seen, even better than Horace." Oliver answered.

"No one is better than Horace, man." Kaz interjected.

"Uh, my ultimate dream is to…discover something that no one else has ever discovered. I want to find something new, because there's not a lot of new things left in the world." Calla answered.

"My ultimate dream is to fight a giant robot in the middle of a busy city." Kaz grinned proudly. "Nothing beats giant robot fights."

"Well, I want…I don't know what my ultimate dream is." Bree admitted. "I have a bunch of small dreams though – to have a family, to start a career, to marry Jaden – so I guess my ultimate dream is to accomplish everything I want in life."

"I want world peace." Dani said simply. The others looked at her. "Oh, don't give me those looks; it's not all that crazy. And after this past year, no more fighting sounds pretty good to me."

"Fair enough." Gus agreed. "Moving on. If you could go anywhere, anywhere at all, where would you go?"

"London." Dani said with a smile. "London, England."

"Paris, France, the city of lights." Bree replied.

"Mars." Kaz grinned.

"Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, England." Calla smirked. "It's one of the ultimate geeky getaways, but still very cool."

"I want to go to Cusco, Peru." Oliver decided. "Or back to Caldera for a bit."

"Rome." Chase decided. "Without a doubt."

"New York City. I hear it's quite impressive." Skylar replied. AJ thought hard.

"I want to go to Boston." AJ replied. Rebeccka nodded.

"Personally, I'd go to LA, but that's just me. Anyway, if you could take over the world, would you?"

They all exchanged looks. "Yeah, that'd be awesome." AJ beamed at the idea.

"Not for me, no. I like to lead, yeah, but I don't think I'd be right to rule the world." Skylar replied.

"Absolutely I would. I want to be able to change the world, and taking it over would be the best way to do so." Chase reasoned.

"No thanks. I'm good." Oliver replied.

"I honestly don't know. It'd be fun…but I'm not sure I'd want the responsibility of ruling the world." Calla answered.

"I'm in. The first thing I'd do would be to banish teachers from the Earth." Kaz grinned, rubbing his hands together.

"And that is why we won't let you take over the world. I would take it over," Bree replied, looking at Rebeccka, "but less because I want to rule the world, and more just to say that I did."

"I'd take it over." Dani agreed. Gus looked at his cue cards, then smirked.

"Okay, Calla and Chase, this one is for you. How many kids should we be expecting and when?" He asked them bluntly. Their expressions turned comical – surprised and caught off guard.

"I-uh…we hadn't thought about it much." Calla stammered. Chase nodded.

"We've been married eight days now. Kids are in the very distant future. We aren't planning on having any anytime soon." He clarified.

"Fair enough. Ladies, except for Calla," Rebeccka addressed the girls, "what is your dream wedding?"

"Back home on my planet Caldera, at the volcano's edge, and officiated by the Calderan Elders while the dorenbosch circle my groom and I." Skylar smiled. Everyone looked at her. "What? Our weddings are a little different than yours."

"Clearly." Bree nodded. "Um, you know, a very traditional one. All my friends and family, Mr. Davenport walking me down the aisle, maybe with something cheesy and romantic like doves or flower petals falling from the sky."

"I want mine on the moon." Dani decided, punching the couch to emphasize her point. Kaz chuckled, nodding.

"Well, you two are perfect for each other." Rebeccka laughed lightly. She looked at her cue cards. "Alright, so boys, what's the most romantic gesture you can think of?"

"I don't know. A cake that explodes into confetti or something?" AJ shrugged. "I really don't have girls on the mind yet."

"Well, I think nearly dying for a girl is really romantic. I mean, it shows how much you care." Oliver replied. The girls scoffed.

"Oh please. Let us handle the bad guys by ourselves. We don't need or want people dying for us." Skylar retorted.

"Dude, the most romantic thing you can do for a girl is show up at her door when she's upset, carrying food and something to distract her from whatever upset her." Kaz insisted.

"Singing to her. That's romantic." Chase replied. Gus nodded.

"So, AJ," He looked at the younger boy, "do you have any crushes on anyone? Anyone at all? Even celebrities?"

"Not really." AJ shrugged. "Like I said, I'm not too into anyone right now. Give it a couple of years."

"Alright, now this last one is for Chase." Gus smirked, reading it. "Who is smarter, you or Calla?"

Calla turned in her seat to give Chase a look, one eyebrow cocked, as if to challenge him to say the wrong thing. Chase looked at her, a guilty smile on his face. "Well, technically…" Calla's eyebrow raised even higher. Chase cleared his throat and turned back to Gus. "I'm smart enough not to answer that."

"Good boy." Calla murmured jokingly.

"Alright, the next question comes from Libra Glitters." Rebeccka announced. She looked at Skylar. "So, they want to know if Oliver proposed to you, what would you say? Would you marry him?"

"Uh…if he asked me right now?" Skylar shook her head. "We've barely been dating a month, we're nowhere close to anything as serious as marriage."

"That is a good point." Gus agreed. "Okay, the next question comes from Algernon23. What powers does everyone have?"

"Well, that's an easy one." Dani grinned. "I have electrokinesis, flight, and a telepathic link with Ollie."

"I've got super speed, invisibility, thermos-nuclear-body blast, and vocal manipulation." Bree explained.

"I can fly and manipulate fire." Kaz answered.

"Proton disks are my thing." Calla replied.

"I have a telepathic link with Dee, as well as cryokinesis, super strength, and flight." Oliver said to the camera.

"My main powers my genius intellect, my bo staff, my telekinesis, and my force field," Chase answered, "but I also have a variety of bionic apps, like the magnetism app, the commando app, the override app…stuff like that. I also have the ability to access an onboard, bionic database that is pretty much like a computer in my head."

"Well, I didn't get all of my powers back when I took Chase's serum, but I do have my super speed, super strength, enhanced senses, and energy blast abilities. There's a few other things, like my natural flexibility, but that's more because of my species' physiology than being a superpower." Skylar explained.

"And I have the power to be awesome." AJ declared proudly.

"Alright, the next question comes from Patty66." Gus announced. "Everyone, if you had kids, what would you name them?"

"If it's a boy, Cameron, and if it's a girl, Donna." Dani replied.

"Noah and Eva." Bree answered. Kaz thought about his answer.

"Kurtis and Kira." He decided.

"Emily and Thomas." Calla said. Chase nodded in agreement.

"Those are the names I'd pick too." He told everyone.

"Sarah or Finn." Oliver answered.

"Saphina or Seth." Skylar decided.

"I don't know, Andrew or maybe Jenny?" AJ shrugged. "I haven't thought much about it, to be honest."

"Okay, the next set of questions come from MayLeaf2001." Rebeccka declared. "Chase, you're first. When did you know you wanted to marry Calla?"

Chase smiled widely, putting his arm around Calla and drawing her closer. "I woke up one night, in her bed, and she was just lying there, fast asleep, one hand lying on my chest. And she looked…so peaceful and beautiful and perfect and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life waking up to that."

"Aww." Calla cooed, curling up closer to him.

"Agreed." Rebeccka smiled. "This question is for both of you lovebirds. How does it feel to finally be married?"

"Different, but in a good way. Like it's more official." Chase answered. Calla nodded.

"Exciting too. Like, there is nothing that can stop us." She added.

"Oh, Calla, this one is for you and Bree." Gus chuckled, reading his cue cards. "Did Bree ever get you that koala from Australia you wanted for your birthday?"

"No!" Calla sat up to glare at Bree. "That reminds me – you broke your promise!"

"They wouldn't let me take one!" The speedster protested.

"Hey, if you still want a koala, I know a guy." Gus offered. "Anyway, Bree, this next question is for you. Do you want to marry Jaden?"

"One day, yeah. Yeah, I do." She answered honestly. "But right now, I don't think it's the time."

"Okay, and what about Glitch? Where's he, and when's he coming back? Both MayLeaf2001 and Mr. Smiles want to know the answer to that one." Rebeccka questioned.

"Uh, he's on the island, because there's a lot more room for him to run around. He likes to swim and play in the artificial beach. He won't have as much room to do that here, so unless Jaden comes to Centium City permanently, he's going to stay with Jaden. I miss him, but I have to do what's best for him." Bree replied.

"Okay, Skylar, you're next. Do you miss your life on Caldera?" Gus inquired. Skylar shrugged.

"I love my life on Earth, and I don't really have any plans to leave, but there are some things that I miss. I miss my pet dorenbosch, and making lavamen in the winter, but for the most part, I don't miss it." She answered.

"Okay, and by the way, how's it going with you and Oliver, you guys being in a new relationship and all?" Rebeccka questioned curiously. "Oliver, feel free to answer that one too."

"I think it's going well. I mean, we've been on a few dates, and I've had a lot of fun." Skylar answered. Oliver smiled, having been unsure of what she was going to say. "And right now, that's all I'm really looking for: someone I care about who I can fun with."

"I'm with Skylar on that one: right now, we're just really enjoying ourselves, and that's a great first step. We'll see where it goes from there, but I think it's going great." Oliver added.

"Dani, this one's for you." Gus announced. "How did you feel when you found out you had killed Roddiseus?"

"Shocked, for starters. I didn't mean to kill him, and certainly hadn't thought that I had." Dani answered. "I'm not a killer. I just wanted to stop him. And I felt guilty – as much as I hated him and his entire family, I didn't mean to kill him."

"Okay," Rebeccka nodded. "And Kaz, how do you feel about Dani right now?"

"Happy?" He shrugged. "I mean, I'm always happy when she's around."

"Okay, this one is for us, actually." Gus read the question on his cue cards. "When did Rebeccka and I start dating?"

"About three months ago." Rebeccka answered. "I was taking a media course at AWP, and Gus' family was donating money to get a wing of the school named after them, and we just started talking."

"Okay, moving on. The next set of questions come from AlienGhostWizard14." Gus declared. "The first one is for everyone. Which marvel and DC villain do you think is the biggest threat?"

"That's definitely a tough one. DC-wise, I'm going with Scarecrow, and Marvel-wise, Magneto's definitely the biggest threat."

"No way. Reverse Flash is way more dangerous, and so is Hive." Bree retorted.

"Apocalypse is the most dangerous Marvel-villain, while Vandal Savage is a pretty big threat in the DC universe." Kaz insisted.

"Thanos is without a doubt the most dangerous villain out there, but Mr. Freeze from the DC comic is a pretty serious villain too." Calla replied.

"Ultron is pretty scary." Oliver admitted. "And so is the Riddler."

"I think the Joker is hands down the most dangerous villain in DC, while Loki is a serious enemy in the Marvel universe." Chase commented.

"For me, I think that the Dark Phoenix is pretty threatening." Skylar answered. "So is Ra's al Ghul."

"Ego's the worst." AJ insisted. "But Bane is pretty terrifying too."

"Personally, I think that Aida psycho is pretty bad, but maybe that's because she'd tried to break up my OTP." Rebeccka shrugged. "Anyway, what is everyone's favorite party game?"

"I know this is lame, but musical chairs." AJ answered. "It's fun to see everyone push over each other to get to that last chair."

"Charades." Skylar replied.

"Two truths and a lie." Oliver answered.

"Beer Pong." Calla replied.

"sing song, ping pong." Bree replied. "It's like that thing they did in Pitch Perfect."

"Cards against Humanities." Dani grinned.

"Pass the orange." Kaz commented, smirking.

"Quelf." Chase smirked. "It's a board game, not necessarily a party game, but it's a lot of fun to play at parties, so I think it counts."

"Ooh, I love that game." Gus grinned. "Okay, this one is for the whole team. How do you feel now that Roddiseus is gone?"

"I think I can answer that for the whole group." Skylar looked at the other for permission. "We're relieved. Is it bad that he's dead? Yes, but it's so much better that he's off the street and not out killing more heroes or even worse, civilians."

"Agreed." Rebeccka nodded. "Okay, and if each of you could protect only one city for the rest of your life, which city would it be?"

"London, or New York. One of the big cities in the world. There's more population there, which means it needs more protection." Dani answered.

"Mission Creek. It's my home." Bree replied.

"Centium City. I mean, that's my home now." Calla revealed.

"Hollywood. Got to protect those celebrities." Kaz answered, only half-joking.

"Philadelphia. It's where we grew up, after all." Oliver commented.

"Washington DC, or more specifically, the president. Without a leader, our country is screwed." Chase answered. "If DC was taken out, I have no idea what we'd do next."

"I'm not really sure. I think I'd help Calla protect Centium City." Skylar replied.

"Now, AJ, this last one is for you." Gus looked at the younger boy. "What powers would you like to have?"

"Super speed. I wanna be like Kid Flash." AJ grinned. Rebeccka nodded and looked down at her cue cards.

"Okay, the next question is from GU3ST, but first, we have to bring out our guests!" She looked at the stairs. "Boys! Your time has come!"

"Well, that doesn't sound dramatic at all." Leo commented sarcastically, as he, Jaden, and Adam all walked down the stairs, wearing dark colored blazers.

"Let's all welcome Adam Davenport, Leo Dooley, and Jaden Parker!" Gus announced. The sound of applause came from a device on his and Rebeccka's desk as the boys took their seats. Leo sat down on the arm of the couch, next to Calla, while Adam sat on the arm next to Kaz. Jaden, on the other hand, sat down in Bree's chair, pulling her into his lap. "Alright guys, this question is for you. How is life at the Academy without Bree, Calla, and Chase?"

"It's AWESOME." Adam stressed the last word. "There's no one around to boss me around, or tell me not to do what I want. Seriously, when we're not on a mission, things are pretty chill."

"I just like the fact that I get classroom 3 all to myself. Calla and Chase converted it into a lab a few months before they left, and now I get to work on my own stuff in there, sometimes with Daniel." Leo agreed. "I mean, I miss them and all, but it's nice to be able to do my own thing."

"Well, I, for one, miss you guys." Jaden offered. "Especially Bree, for obvious reasons. Aside from that, it's kind of boring and exciting at the same time, if you can get that. I mean, there's no supervision, so things can get more than a little crazy, but that also means that most of the former students are pretty much doing their own thing. My job is to cook for people, and I'm barely doing that, and honestly, I'd prefer to be busy than do nothing."

"Alright, that seems fair." Rebeccka nodded. "Alright, the next set of questions come from an anonymous guest. First, to Calla and Chase. What was your first song?"

"Fools by Lauren Aquilina." Calla answered. Chase nodded.

"It was playing when we first danced together at that school dance, just a couple of months after Leo came along." He reminisced.

"I remember that song. You know, it was oddly fitting for you guys." Rebeccka commented thoughtfully. "Alright, Skylar, you're next. Do you think you will ever return to Caldera?"

"I-I don't know." The alien answered honestly. "Earth is my home now. It's where I belong, but if my planet could ever find peace, then I would like to return. Not permanently, but for a visit at least."

"Alright, for the next question, we need a very special guest." Gus announced. "Oh, boss lady! We need you down here!"

A moment later, a tall girl with shoulder length, auburn hair walked down the stairs, wearing black pants and a dark blue t-shirt. "Hey folks." Kihonne greeted, moving to sit down on a stool next to AJ. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands.

"Alright, the guest had a question for you. Has there ever been a time when you felt like you should just stop writing and disappear?"

Kihonne sat up. "That's an…unusually deep question. Um, have I ever wanted to disappear and stop writing? No. When people want to disappear, it's usually because they want to escape something that is weighing down on them. For me, I escape into my writing. I run towards the words when I want to disappear, not away." She cleared her throat. "That being said, there have been moments when I wanted to stop posting. Every writer gets moments where they lose their confidence in their writing, especially when they're starting out, and believe me, I'm no exception; I've had my moments where I didn't want to post because I didn't think my writing was good enough, but every writer does, and you just got keep writing to move past it."

"Alright, the next couple of questions are from Amazingchichi741, and they're both for you, Kihonne." Rebeccka announced. "Firstly, are the villains from Lab Rats going to be in season 2?"

"Oh, um…there will be a few familiar faces from the lab rats' past, some of which will have a larger role than they did in the original series, but I can't say much more than that without spoiling." Kihonne replied apologetically.

"Okay, and what kind of surprises will the teams of both stories, The Power of Seven and Love and War, be in for?" Gus questioned.

"Okay, so I won't answer that question for Love and War, simply because there's not much I can say that won't spoil what's left of the story. It's a shorter story, so we're actually about halfway through. There's going be a bit of a twist that involves Rani, but not in the way I think you'd expect, and we're going to see a familiar face soon…ish. It's hard to explain." Kihonne shrugged. "As for Power of Seven…well, I've got a number of surprises planned. So what can I hint at without spoiling? So, you remember those Calderan rocks Calla picked up a while back? They're going to help her with a new invention that will have a pretty surprising impact on the story. There's going to be a few of big twists, as well as a few more cameos, some of which are going to surprise you. That's about all I can say right now – it's killing me not to tell you about all my plans, but I say anything more and I'll spill the beans about some of the big twists. The last thing I'm going to say is expect the unexpected."

"Isn't that Big Brother's catchphrase? Oh well." Rebeccka shrugged. "Okay, the next set of questions come from Layla. The first is for Dani, Kaz, and Oliver. What is the first thing they're going to do with Mighty Med 2.0?"

"Okay, well, we each have plans of our own." Oliver began. "The first thing I'm going to do is contact old Mighty Med employees. There were a few that managed to survive Roddiseus' attack, and a few more that were let go when the hospital received budget cuts the year before, so I'm going to track them down and offer them places in our staff."

"I'm going to contact every hero on our superhero list and let them know about the existence of the new hospital." Dani replied. "It's not going to be much use if its potential patients don't know it exists."

"And I'm going to make some sort of memorial for all the heroes and doctors we lost when the original Mighty Med was destroyed." Kaz answered, uncharacteristically serious. "The new hospital is great, but we should honor the original and everything that happened there."

"That's cool. Actually, that's a really cool idea." Rebeccka smiled. "Okay, this one is for Bree, Calla, and Chase. How often do you miss Adam and Leo?"

"Never." Calla insisted. Leo looked at her. "Just kidding. I miss them a lot, and think of them all the time."

"Same here." Chase agreed.

"Well, maybe not as much as I miss Jaden, but they're my brothers; of course I miss them all the time." Bree added.

"Oh, speaking of you missing your boyfriend, is it hard being in a long-term relationship?" Gus questioned. "Do you ever feel left out or out of place with the other couples in the house?"

"It's not easy." Bree admitted. "Especially when I walk downstairs and catch Dani and Kaz making out on the couch together, or watch Oliver try to endlessly impress Skylar, or listen to Calla and Chase flirt with each other. But I do visit a lot, and Jaden comes out at least once a month, so it's not that bad. And we've done it before, so I know we can make it work."

"Okay, and finally, for Skylar, you and Oliver are official now, right? You guys are a thing?" Rebeccka questioned.

"Yes, we're officially dating." Skylar confirmed.

"Okay, these next couple of questions come from SzymonS. The first is for the whole team." Gus announced. "Who's the most terrific villain you ever faced?"

"Well, I don't know about terrific, but I thought Megahertz was the most terrifying." Dani offered.

"Giselle. Her and her army, they were pretty terrifying." Bree commented.

"I'm with Dani. Megahertz was pretty scary." Kaz agreed with his girlfriend.

"Marcus, without a doubt." Calla shook her head. "He was definitely the most dangerous one we ever faced."

"No way, Wallace and Clyde were pretty scary for the five minutes that they were a villain." Oliver answered.

"Victor Krane was the most dangerous." Chase insisted.

"The Annihilator." Skylar answered. "He was the scariest."

"Alright, this is the last question of the night!" Rebeccka announced. "This is for our favorite twins – sorry Kieran and Rio. Oliver, Dani, how exactly does your telepathy work? Can you guys just chat with each other, or is there more? Like if there was something one of you was trying to keep from the other, would it be possible for that other person to find out what it is?"

"It's kinda complicated." Dani answered. "It's kinda like a bunch of layers. The first layer is easy, it's what we tell each other on purpose. The second layer is usually what we're thinking at that moment, it's also pretty easy to see, if we try. Each of our thoughts are on different layers, and the deeper the layer, the harder it is for us to read. If we try to hide something from the other, it ends up moving to a deeper layer."

"So in short, we could try to see more in each other's minds, but it would take a lot more effort." Oliver explained. "And if we try too hard to see each other's thoughts, the other will notice and try to block us out. But really, there hasn't been anything big that we're hiding from each other."

"Alright, I guess that's it." Rebeccka clapped her hands together. "Alright everyone, we wanted to thank you for coming and sending in your questions."

"All of them were great, and we were happy to be here!" Gus agreed. "We'll see you around, folks!"

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, next week we start season 2 of Elite Force! The update schedule is as follows:**

 **June 5** **th** **– Bad Ideas**

 **June 12** **th** **– Cabin Fever**

 **June 19** **th** **– Truth or Dare**

 **June 26** **th** **– Under Pressure**

 **Oh, and since we're going to have original chapters from here on out, I'm going to be posting some of the synopsizes on my profile. The first four are already up. Anyway, I'll see you guys next week!**


	20. Bad Ideas

**Kihonne: Alright guys, who's excited for season 2? I know I am, so let's get started! Oh, and by the way, if you read the synopsis, I might have changed part of plot. This one just felt a lot more natural, and it added a bit of comedy to the chapter, so I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you liked it, and thank you so much for what you said. I am never going to stop writing if I can help it, I love it too much to want to drop it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the rest of the season.**

 **Algernon23: I'm so glad you liked it so much. And you're very welcome for the list of powers! And thanks, I think I'll need all the luck I can get. There's some chapters that I already have planned out word for word, and they're going to be great, but the ones where I just have a general idea of what has to happen are going to be a little more difficult to write, so I may just take you up on your offer for help. Oh, and thanks for pointing that out – I had the list in the footer of the document I was using so I wouldn't forget anyone in a group question, and I must have forgotten to take it out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked that part, as well as the rest of the chapter. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **DarthBecky726: Don't worry about it – a lot of people didn't send any in. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter anyway. And yes, season 2! You have no idea how pumped I am! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Leana: Perhaps I will put Kakai in a chapter. I'll try to fit her in if it makes sense with the plot, but I make no promises. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **GU3ST: There won't be another one, I'm afraid. Like the Days of Our Lives, this story is only likely to be around 35 chapters, give or take, and I don't think there'll be room for another. Sorry.**

 **Lereyi27: Well, since Leo's not a permanent member of team, it wouldn't make sense for him to be there to say that, and without him, the scene just wouldn't have the same effect. Sorry. As for AJ, I don't think Calla and Chase are at the stage where they're ready to be parents, adoptive or biological, and the plot would complicate some future plans I have for him if I did that, so I'm afraid I can't go down that path, but if you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it so much. I do not expect to be doing another one, simply due to the length of the story, and due to the way the plot is going to go. Sorry. Anyway, I'm glad you're excited for the season, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **IAMAGUEST: Aw, that's a shame that you missed it. I hope things calm down a bit soon for you. And yes, Dani's in contact with Bridget. You'll get more details on that this chapter. As for the honeymoon, I wanted to focus on what's going on in Centium City this week, not to mention I couldn't figure out a decent plotline for the honeymoon, but I think you'll like, or at least find interesting, what I have instead.**

 **NightAngel365: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! And yeah, Danielle Campbell would definitely be able to handle all that sass, and deliver Calla's lines perfectly. Not to mention, she and William Brent would look adorable together. And yay, we're at season 2. Everyone's excited, especially me. Oh, and the midseason finale; that's going to be one hell of a chapter, that's for sure. I'm really excited for it, mainly because I want to see how you all react to it. As for the number of chapters, there will be 17 chapters in season 2, with the midseason finale being the 7** **th** **chapter (or the 26** **th** **chapter in the overall story). It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm really looking forward to it. I agree with you about how disappointing it was to see so little Mighty Med themed chapters or even callbacks in the series, which makes Mighty Med 2.0 even more exciting. Like I said, I've got a few Mighty Med themed chapters, not to mention, a few cameos from old Mighty Med characters. I promise to do better than the real writers when it comes to including both series that merged into Elite Force. As for Dani, she's going to have one of most interesting arcs I've ever written, actually. I'm particularly excited to explore it, especially Kaz and Oliver's reactions to the whole thing. Their relationships with Dani are going to be seriously impacted, especially on Oliver's part, because Bridget is his mother too. I do hope that my arc will give the readers some sense of closure, since Elite Force scrapped that plotline altogether (such a bad decision, if you ask me, though I'd like to believe that they would have re-introduced it in a second season if they got one). There's actually a number of plots and arcs that got left behind along the way, and I plan on going back into many of them, whether it's in this story or in Demons (the next story). It's going to be a very interesting ride for all of us. As for your last question, will I write more lab rats stories? At this point, I don't know. I'm do want to continue writing, but since I'll be in my third year of university by time this series is done (assuming the next two stories last as long as I expect, it'll be September 2018 by time the series is done), I'll likely slow down a bit. I am going to go back and finish The Return of Heroes at some point, but other than that, I don't know what I'll be writing. I might try my hand at some other type of fanfiction (Flash, perhaps) or perhaps even a professional novel. Oh, and please don't apologize for having a long review or asking a lot of question. Most authors love getting long reviews, and I'm no exception to that. I love lengthy reviews because how much you have to say about the story, or how much you want to know, and how invested you are in this. Reviews motivate me to write, and while I love any review, I'd rather get one really lengthy review over a dozen "Loved it. Please update" reviews any day. So please, feel free to leave any length of review on this story, because I am thrilled to get them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Bridget: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Elite Force, or Lab Rats. She only owns her OCs, this story, the plots of all chapters including and after this chapter, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"Ugh, I feel like a college student." I commented, walking into the living room, carrying a coffee cup full of that just-add-water noodle stuff that I found in the cupboard. Skylar looked up from her magazine.

"Why not just do the dishes?" She questioned. I shrugged, relaxing onto the couch.

"Too tired. We've been up all night, going over old resumes from the original Mighty Med." I explained. "Thank God Ollie offered to take today to set things up and bring back a couple of old employees. Guess which of our favorite nurses he's picking up today?"

"Well, you only had two favorites, and Benny was killed, so that doesn't leave many options." She replied as Kaz and Bree walked into the Penthouse, carrying grocery bags. AJ followed shortly behind them. "Hey, you guys need help with those?"

"Nah, we got it." Bree assured her, carrying the bags into the kitchen. AJ dropped onto the couch between me and Skylar.

"So, what are you guys doing?" He asked, putting his arms on the back of the couch.

"Chilling. Eating. Refusing to do chores." I replied absently.

"Not going on missions either." Skylar added. She frowned. "You know, it kinda feels weird, now that we're kinda on vacation."

"Yeah, what are you guys going to do now that Roman, Riker, their pathological father and their psychotic siblings are out of the picture?" AJ inquired. "I mean, weren't they the whole reason you guys put this team together?"

"Kid's got a point." Kaz agreed, leaning on the back of the couch.

"What, you wanna leave?" I challenged, surprised. Skylar shook her head.

"No, of course not. None of us do." She answered for him. "But why are we here? Are we just a general response team? Or are we supposed to go after big villains like Alivia's team?"

"I say we just go on normal missions until a major player joins the game again." Bree suggested. "But if no one does, I'm not exactly complaining. Between Marcus, and Krane, and Giselle, and the Roddiseus family, I'm definitely game for a break from super villains for a while."

"We could use the vacation." Kaz agreed. "Besides, there aren't many major villains out there. The only one I can think of is Dr. Wrath and Liv's team has that covered."

I nodded in agreement, then began to dig back into my meal. I paused, however, when Skylar spoke up. "Well, there's Bridget."

I stopped what I was doing, then looked at her sharply. She gave me a guilty look, clearly unsure of whether or not it was alright to bring up that topic. Even a year later, she and the others were hesitant to bring up my mother.

"What about her?" I questioned, placing my bowl on the table.

"Well, I just remembered that we agreed we'd go after her when all the Roman and Riker stuff were finished." Skylar said slowly. I shrugged, trying to keep my reaction to a minimum.

"I don't really want to do that anymore, actually." I replied absently. The others all looked at me.

"Okay, when it came to hunting her down, you were more obsessed than Oliver, and that's saying something." Kaz looked at me closely. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." I just wanted to handle the mom thing on my own, my way. "But she's in hiding. We don't have any leads, and honestly, I don't feel like diving back into crazy, evil chaos that surrounds my mother. And if she's in hiding, then she's not doing any harm, right? So why not let her be for the time being?"

"Alright, if that's what you want." Kaz agreed hesitantly. I leaned my head back so I could smile up at him.

"Thank you." I told him sincerely. I had a plan to handle the Mom thing on my own, but I knew he and the rest of the team wouldn't like it, so I wanted to keep him out of it as much as possible. The less he was involved, the less likely it was that he would get hurt from this. There was an awkward silence after that – clearly Skylar had expected that to go a little bit differently – so I quickly changed the topic of conversation. "So, has anyone else caught the news this morning?"

They all shook their heads, so I reached over and grabbed the TV remote. Turning on the TV, I switched it to the Chip and Dixie channel, where footage of the battle had been streaming all day. Most of it was of Bree, Chase, and their siblings, Adam and Leo, likely because the world already knew who they were, but we all got a few scenes of us kicking butt. "We're famous!"

"Wow." Skylar looked surprised. Bree seemed pleased with the footage.

"You know, maybe that's why my mom's been trying to call me all day." Kaz commented, nodding in approval at the screen.

"Yeah, she probably wants to know when and how you became bionic." Bree agreed, nodding at the ribbon underneath the footage. It read 'Bionic Heroes Save Centium City' as the headline of the news piece. "This is incredible. Chase and Calla are going to freak when they see this."

 **Kaz's POV**

"So, I had a thought." I began, smirking at the others once Bree and I finished putting away the groceries. Skylar gasped mockingly.

"It's a miracle." She teased. I chuckled.

"Calla and Chase don't get back until, like, 10, so this is our last day without 'adult' supervision." Well, technically, Bree was also older than us, but she was usually game for what I suggested. "So I say we have some fun. Order a lot of pizza and pop, rent a couple of R-rated movies that Chase would disapprove of, and chill. Seriously, we deserve a break to have some fun. And Oliver said he would be done setting things up at Mighty Med by 4, so the timing works."

"I'm game." "Sweet." "Let's do it." The girls all agreed. Dani's phone vibrated then, and she swiped it off the table. She frowned, reading the text, then stood up.

"Liv." She shrugged in explanation, grabbing her purse off the table. "She needs me to run down a lead for her on one of Dr. Wrath's minions."

"Why does she never ask us to do that sort of thing?" Skylar questioned, confused. Dani smirked.

"Because I'm her favorite." She teased. She headed for the door. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

She closed the door behind her. I shrugged – Dani must be Liv's favorite, considering how often she sent my girlfriend to check out leads for her. Skylar grabbed the TV guide off the table. "There's actually a good selection of movies on paperview this week. Kaz, I know you and Dani already saw it like three times, but do you guys want to rent Logan?"

Before any of us could answer, AJ walked in, carrying his IPad. "Hey guys." He greeted. "Guess what I've got here?"

"Is this something only Calla and Chase would really care about?" Skylar asked suspiciously. AJ nodded.

"Probably, but they're not here, so put up with me." He replied. "I think I fixed MISS."

"Really?" Bree looked surprised.

"Yeah, I kinda forgot to get Calla and Chase a wedding gift, so I've been working on fixing their AI since the night of the wedding." He explained. "Anyway, I think I managed to replicate Calla's original code, so I'm going to go upload MISS back into the system."

Without another word, he headed down into Mission Command. "So, Logan?" Skylar asked, continuing on as if she hadn't been interrupted.

 **Dani's POV**

I stepped carefully through the tunnel, using the flashlight on my phone to guide me through the darkness. Though the tunnel was dark, I was surprised to find that it was not as filthy as one would expect. After about a hundred feet in the dark, the tunnel opened up into a large, abandoned subway station. It was well lit, and fairly clean. At each corner of the station were these large, silver devices with blue blinking lights. I looked up at one, wondering what it was.

"Danica." I spun around quickly to see my mother standing on the platform of the station. She was dressed in a dark blue pantsuit, her blonde hair curled perfectly over her shoulders. Compared to the last time I saw her – when she was a mess, her expression wild and wearing a dress for a wedding that would never be completed – it was an improvement.

"Hi." I swallowed thickly, briefly wondering how if this was a bad idea or not. "Hi, Mom."

"Those are power dampeners." She told me, gesturing at the devices in the corners. "I thought you'd feel more comfortable if we were on a level playing field."

Crap, I guess she saw how nervous I was. Though, knowing that she couldn't use her powers did make this a little less tense. I nodded, took a deep breath, then pulled myself off the tracks and onto the platform. "Yeah, good call." I agreed, standing up. "I was surprised when you texted."

"Not as surprised as I was to receive your messages. How did you manage to find me?" She questioned, curious. I shrugged.

"I used our AI to track down Mort, then got him to give me your contact information." I explained. She smiled, confused.

"And how did you get him to do that?" She inquired. I smirked.

"I convinced him." I left it at that, hoping she'd get the message. She smiled.

"My beautiful girl, look how powerful you've become." She said sweetly, proudly. I bit my lip, wondering if it was too late to run.

 **Kaz's POV**

I ground my teeth together in determination, hitting the buttons on my remote control as fast as I could. Oliver currently held the record on the newest game in our video game collection and I was determined to defeat him at any cost.

Just as I was about to win, someone began pounding fiercely on the front door. "Hey, the door won't accept my keycard!" Oliver complained, his voice coming from the other end.

"MISS, open the door for him." I requested, not looking away from the screen. Nothing happened. "MISS, let him in."

Again, nothing happened. "Guys, c'mon! Let me in!"

Sighing, I paused the game and got up. "AJ said he fixed MISS, but I think he glitched the whole system or something." I explained, opening the door for him.

"Awesome." Oliver rolled his eyes. "So, I finished the interviews for the week. We've got a couple of new staff members, and a couple of the guys from the original Mighty Med are back."

"Sweet." I grinned. Some familiar faces would make the place seem more like home. "Oh, check it out; I'm about to beat your high score."

I swiped the remote control off the coffee table, but before I could press play, the TV went dead. The lights went out, as if the power had just drained from the penthouse. Seconds later, Skylar and Bree came jogging down the stairs. "Hey, what did you guys do?"

"This wasn't us!" Oliver protested. "It must be AJ screwing around in Mission Command."

"Well, he shut down everything in the house." Bree complained. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number. After waiting a moment, she cursed in frustration. "C'mon, pick up your phone, AJ!"

Skylar sighed and went to use the hyperlift, before remembering that it too would be out of order. "C'mon. We can use the tunnels to get in and see what the problem is."

"We'll go." Bree offered, grabbing Oliver's arm. "You guys stay up here and text us when the power's back on."

She didn't wait for a reply, instead adjusting her grip on Oliver then speeding out the door, leaving Skylar and I alone in the penthouse.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Whoa!" Bree skidded to a stop, barely managing to stop in time to avoid crashing into the rock wall that stood between us and mission command. "That was open earlier."

"You think AJ closed it?" I guessed. She shrugged, looking at the wall in annoyance. "Let me."

Kneeling down, I managed to get the tips of my fingers under the wall enough to get a half-decent grip on it, then slowly used my super strength to force it open, moving the door upwards an inch at a time. As soon as she could fit underneath, Bree sped past me, into Mission Command. I followed suit, ducking under the wall and letting it slam back down to the ground behind me.

"Look out!" AJ shouted just as we entered the room. Bree and I both ducked instinctually, and just in time – three red hot lasers shot through where our heads had just been, the attack coming from the ovular control unit Calla had installed for MISS above the main consol.

"What the hell is going on?" Bree demanded as we ducked behind one of the other consols. AJ gave us a guilty look as he hid behind the consol with us.

"Well, I uploaded the new code for MISS, and then she just shut everything down and started shooting at me!" He explained. "I think I may have accidently set her security mode to hyper or something."

"Okay, but why would her security mode cause her to attack us?" I questioned.

" _Three intruders detected!"_ MISS' voice shouted as more shots blasted just past our head. _"Three intruders detected!"_

"It's a new code. I haven't had the chance to input our information into her system, so she doesn't know that we're not intruders." AJ explained, ducking down lower as another laser shot past us.

"Okay, I think this is exactly why Calla doesn't let people touch her tech." Bree decided, frustrated.

"Clearly." I agreed. I looked at AJ. "Do you think you can shut her down?"

"If I can get to the consol, yeah, but with MISS shooting like that, it'll be impossible." The kid insisted.

"I'll take care of MISS." I offered. "You guys shut her down."

"Deal." Bree and AJ nodded. I took a breath, then slid out from under the consol and raced to the other end of the room, drawing MISS' fire. Bree sped AJ over to the consol, while I took aim at the control unit. I blasted it with ice just as the boy genius began typing at the keyboard.

The ice covered the control unit for a brief moment, before another laser broke through and shot right at me. I dodged it, then prepared for another attack. Thankfully, MISS' lasers deactivated just in time.

"Got it." AJ sighed in relief. I grinned, but the relief was short-lived, for MISS reactivated a moment later.

" _Five intruders detected."_ MISS declared. Bree pulled AJ out of the way as the AI began to shoot even more lasers at us. I ducked behind the nearest consol, on the opposite side of the room than Bree and AJ.

"Uh, don't got it!" AJ called.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"I don't know!" He shouted back. He paused. "Wait, did she say 'five intruders'?"

I frowned, then it dawned on me; Kaz and Skylar were waiting for us to turn the power back on. "Crap."

 **Dani's POV**

"How do you know how powerful I am?" I asked, confused. She hadn't seen since before we discovered our powers after all. How could she know that we had any, let alone that they were powerful?

"I have contacts all over. I've heard about everything you and Oliver have been up to." She explained. She smiled. "You've become quite powerful in a short amount of time." There was pride in her voice.

"So you know about us fighting Roddiseus and his family?" I questioned. "Then why didn't you call me back when I asked for your help?"

"Danica-" She began, but I interrupted her.

"No, Mom. I called you _._ " I insisted. "There were too many shapeshifters and they were stronger than us, and I didn't think we had a chance in hell to win, so I called you. And you couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone."

"I know." She nodded. "Danica, things were complicated-"

"I thought we were going to die." I cut her off once more.

"But you didn't." Mom reminded me. "You're a survivor. You won."

"Doesn't matter. We needed you, I needed you, and you left us there to die." I accused. "You abandoned us!"

"I knew you could handle it." Mom rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "I know what my children are capable of, Danica. I would have come if I thought you could lose."

"Then you have more faith in us than you should." I snapped. I sighed. "I don't even know why I'm here."

I turned and knelt down, intending to leave, knowing that this was a mistake. Before I could hop back down to the unused tracks, my mother stopped me. "You're here because the world is getting more and more dangerous. And without the heroes that used to keep the world safe, the bad guys are going to win sooner rather than later."

I paused, almost ashamed of how much I agreed with her. She continued. "It took you a year to beat Roddiseus, and during that time he killed dozens of heroes. There's what, 20 or so left in the world, including your team? As good as you are, you can't protect the entire world."

I swallowed. "You told us that you could make the world safe."

"I can." Mom promised me as I stood up. "We can. Danica, help me and we can make the world safer."

 **Kaz's POV**

"What are you doing?" Skylar questioned in exasperation as I dug through the cupboards.

"Well, while they're turning the lights back on, I figured I might as well check if we have snacks for tonight." I reasoned. I closed another cupboard door, disappointed. "I know Calla's got a secret chocolate stash around here somewhere."

"If it's such a secret, how do you know about it?" Skylar inquired.

"I found it a while back. I think she moved it though – aha!" I grinned as I removed a box of Cheerios to reveal a tub aware container filled with mini KitKat and Aero bars. "Found it!"

" _Intruder Alert! Intruder alert!"_ I jumped at the sound of MISS' alarmed voice. Before I could even process the sudden alarm, a laser shot at me from somewhere above the TV. I dropped to the ground, hiding behind the kitchen island for cover, while Skylar dived behind the couch.

"Intruder alert?" Skylar repeated, confused. I looked at her, wide-eyed.

"Wait a minute…so all those times villains broke in here, nothing, but the moment I go near Calla's chocolate, you decide to start shooting." I sighed irritably. "Man, Calla needs to reprogram your priorities."

" _I heard that."_ MISS retorted before firing another shot at each of us, these two coming from above the kitchen cupboards. Skylar leapt over the couch again while I threw myself against the nearest wall, the impact accidentally knocking one of the wall decorations down.

"Kaz, stop pissing off MISS!" Skylar snapped. This time, when a shot was fired at her, she grabbed one of the plates off the table, using it to deflect the blast. It didn't work well – the laser shattered the plate – but at least it deflected the laser back towards the wall. "What's going on?"

I didn't have the chance to answer before MISS fired another set of lasers. I ducked lower, then grimaced as the blast missed both of us and hit the TV, leaving a singed crack in the center of it. Davenport was not going to be happy about replacing that.

"I don't know, but we have to stop it!" I shouted.

"No, really?" Skylar retorted sarcastically. MISS shot at us again and Skylar cartwheeled out of the way, kicking her back leg up at the last moment in order to hit the coffee table. The coffee table turned on its side, blocking the laser blast. "Look, we just got to hold her off until Oliver and Bree can fix her. That's what they went down to Mission Command to do, right?"

"Right!" I agreed, darting away from the wall in time to avoid another laser blast. "I just hope they hurry it up."

 **Dani's POV**

"I…no. No, I can't work with you." I refused, backing up. I stumbled, almost tripping over the edge of the platform. "I came here because I needed answers, not because I wanted to join your evil militia."

"But isn't that what you want? To make the world safe?" Mom pressed. "We can do that together, sweetheart."

"I don't want to be like you." I whispered. Mom gave me a look.

"You already are." She told me. I shook my head. "Danica, I know about Roddiseus."

She knew how I killed him, how I ended his life. "It was an accident." I told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Was it?" She asked, not unkindly. "It's alright, I understand. He hurt the people you cared about and you did what you had to make sure he'd never do it again." I gulped. "That's not so different from what I did to Argento. I made sure he would never lay a hand on you or Oliver again."

"I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted to stop him." I insisted. Mom gave me a sympathetic look.

"We can make things better. Together, we can take over the villain empire. We'll make them listen to us." She painted the picture in front of me. "They won't hurt anyone else. Once this is all over, you'll never be in a position where you have to fight or kill again."

I hesitated. "You act like it's just that easy, like people won't get hurt."

"No war is without its casualties. But the end will justify our means." She assured me. "If a few people get hurt in order to make the world a safer place, it's worth it."

I paused, thinking her offer over. I wasn't stupid – I knew she wasn't doing this for world peace. My mother wanted to control the world, that was a simple truth I'd known my whole life, even before I knew what she was capable of. And giving her that kind of control, it was a dangerous risk. But then again, she had gotten into all of this because a villain dared to threaten her little girl. Maybe she wasn't all bad…maybe this could work out the way I hoped. Maybe this could end exactly as we planned. Sure, there would be obstacles in order to achieve my goal, but I'd always been rather adaptable. I could handle it…right?

I stood there, conflicted for a long time, before thinking back to why I got in contact with her in the first place. "One condition." I eventually said. She smiled.

"Oliver and Kaz," she said my boyfriend's name reluctantly, obvious displeased to include him, "will not be harmed during any of this."

"Not just them. Skylar, Calla, Bree and Chase too. And Geminus as well." I added as an afterthought. Mom gave me a look.

"I'll do my best, but I can't order my minions not to defend themselves. You know they won't understand what we're doing." She reminded me. I nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words.

"Leave that to me. I'll either convince them…or I'll figure it out." Maybe things wouldn't have to go too far. Maybe this could work.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Hurry up!" I insisted as I blasted MISS' control unit with another icy wave. The AI blasted through it again, releasing another wave of laser blasts in my direction.

"I don't know what's wrong with the code!" AJ protested, typing on his IPad furiously.

"Well, figure it out!" Bree snapped at him as she sped around the room, trying to draw MISS' fire. "We can't keep this up forever!"

I nodded in agreement, dropping to the ground to avoid another laser blast.

"Let me try something!" AJ insisted. "Buy me some time!"

"What do you think we've been doing?" Bree snapped.

"Alright, what if we burnt her out?" I suggested, glancing at her. "Make her use up all her power."

Bree nodded breathlessly, then began to speed around the room once more, this time at a slower pace so that MISS could lock onto her. I ran in the other direction, making sure to keep myself in MISS' line of fire. She started firing at us, and we avoided the blasts as best as we could, with Bree speeding forward, just out of reach and me using my cryoblast to nullify the shot. But after about twenty minutes, she had still not run out of juice. "I don't think this working!" Bree shouted, skidding to a stop, obviously intending to take a break. Unfortunately for her, MISS took advantage of her pause and shot a blast towards her. The laser hit Bree in the shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

"I don't think she'll run out of the power. She works on the generator." AJ offered. I stopped and stared at him.

"And you tell us that now?" I demanded, ducking just in time to avoid one of MISS' lasers. I glanced at Bree as she climbed back to her feet. "You okay?"

"No. Back up." She ordered. She looked angry enough that AJ and I did as we were told, stepping out of the way. She clenched her fists and her body was enveloped in a green glow. She used her thermonuclear body blast on the control unit, shattering it into pieces. The remains of the control unit clattered as they hit the consol, while Bree rubbed her hands together, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Problem solved." She declared. She turned on her heel. "I'm going for fro-yo. See ya."

AJ and I watched her go in awe. After a moment, AJ spoke up. "She scares me sometimes."

"She scares all of us." I agreed.

 **Dani's POV**

"Well, look who's back early." I smiled as I walked into the lobby of Davenport Tower. Calla and Chase were standing at the elevator doors, waiting for the car to come down to greet us.

"Hey, you miss us?" Calla teased, hugging me. I rolled my eyes.

"Us, no…" I commented sarcastically, giving Chase a quick hug too. "So, how was Rome?"

"You knew?" Calla demanded. I laughed.

"We all did, and Chase bribed us all to keep quiet." I commented as the elevator finally reached the main floor. I helped them bring their luggage into the elevator car. "So, how was it?"

"Amazing. Absolutely beautiful." Calla gushed.

"Well, what we did see. We didn't spend all our time sightseeing." Chase added with a smirk. I laughed lightly. "So, what did we miss?"

"Not much." I shrugged as we made it to our floor. Chase pulled out his key card and slid it through the scanner.

"Good. I'm glad you guys didn't get into any trou…" He trailed off when he opened the door. The entire penthouse was trashed; the couch was turned over on its back, the TV was broken, there were wall hanging and decorations shattered along the ground, and there were singe marks, as if from a fire, everywhere. And in the middle of all that chaos stood Kaz and Skylar, both of whom were disheveled as if they'd just fought a dozen shapeshifters. "What in the world?"

"Oh." Skylar looked at us surprised. "Hey guys."

She and Kaz looked around at the mess. "Uh…" Kaz chuckled guiltily. "Welcome back?"

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Well, that was interesting, that's for sure. Oh, Dani, what am I getting you into? Well, don't forget to review! Seriously, I want to hear what you guys thought about the chapter, and what kind of predictions you have about season 2. Seriously, review! Anyway, this is the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **June 12** **th** **: Cabin Fever**

 **June 19** **th** **: Under Pressure**

 **June 26** **th** **: Truth or Dare**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, don't forget to review, and I'll see you all next week!**


	21. Cabin Fever

**Kihonne: Alright guys, sorry I'm late with the chapter. I'm taking some summer classes and I spend the last two days working on an essay. But I'm back, and this time, with Cabin Fever! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: Yeah, I think everyone is at least a little worried about what's going on with Dani. Working with her mom is a dangerous gamble, but she's just…she's just seeing things from a different perspective than everyone else. As for how long it'll take Oliver to notice something's up, that's an interesting question, especially with just how close the siblings are. Let's just say, he's going to figure things out before the others. Oh, and I definitely agree with you about Bree. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Amazingchich741: I'm glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: Yeah…I'm glad you enjoyed the parts with MISS and Calla and Chase's reactions. As for Dani, well, I'm afraid I can't clear up any confusion there might be, aside from telling you to keep reading. All will be made clear in time. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you like this one too.**

 **DarthBecky726: Yeah…I'm glad you liked the parts with AJ, as well as Calla and Chase's reactions. Dani…well, let's just say things are not always what they seem. I don't want to say more than that, as I'm trying really hard not to spoil what I have planned, but know that there is a method to Dani's madness. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **EliteForce12: I'm so glad you enjoyed it, especially the ending. I'd love to visit Rome too – it's one of the places on my bucket list that I need visit. As for Dani…well, let's just see what happens next, shall we? Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Um, I'm going to assume you meant 'that was awesome', judging by your comment at the end of your review, so I'm glad you liked it. I'm also glad you picked up on the contrast between on how Rani and Dani appear to be changing sides. There will be some character development with Kaz – as much as I have planned for Dani, I'm also going to put a lot of focus on him and Oliver, particularly after the mid-season finale. And yes, I guarantee cameos, many of them in fact. There will be a few from our friends in the New League of Heroes, along with at least one more chapter with Adam and Leo in, and some very special cameos from Mighty Med. I'm going to have an exciting roster of characters this season, and I think you're all going to enjoy who's coming to visit. Anyway, I can't wait to hear those theories (I'm very curious to see where everyone think I'm taking the Dani arc) and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked it! No, Calla and Chase aren't going to be too pleased, but they'll get over it. And yes, Davenport's reaction would be hilarious. Dani, well like you said, she's doing what she thinks is right, even if the method isn't what we'd agree with. As for her secret keeping, it will definitely affect the team, in many ways. I'm afraid Marcus won't be returning – Calla and Leo took care of him. As for any other villains, well, we'll get to see a few old antagonists in this season, but you'll have to wait and find out who. We will get to see our friends at the Academy a few times this season, some more than others. Adam, Leo, and Jaden all have at least two chapters with them present in it, so you'll get to see them soon. Even Daniel will be taking a trip to Centium City at one point. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter so much, and I hope you like this one too.**

 **SzymonS: I'm so glad you liked it so much, especially the humor. Yes, Bridget's come out of hiding to team up with Dani. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **NightAngel365: You can say that again – it's going to be an exciting season. I'm so glad you liked the chapter, especially the part with Bree. I think everyone's a little relieved that both the wedding and the honeymoon went uninterrupted. I think after the past few anniversaries, they deserved it. And Dani…well, let's just hope she knows what she's doing. You're right though, it IS going to impact her relationships with everyone on the team, especially with Kaz and Oliver. It's going to impact Dani too. No matter how this ends, the Dani that's there at the end of the story won't be the same girl who first joined the Elite Force. And yes, the Mighty Med cameos! I'm really excited for them, especially for some. And I know, right? I plan on doing this storyline right. Beating Bridget certainly won't be easy, especially with the other obstacles in their way. And yeah, all the way into 2018. It's crazy how long this series will have been running by then. As for your question about Calla, no, she will not be getting any other powers. She's always been a tech girl and I don't want to lose that part of her, so you're more likely to see her using combinations of her tech and the proton disks in the future. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one just as much!**

 **Layla: I'm afraid I can not answer that question. You're just going to have to keep reading to find out. I hope you like the chapter.**

 **IAMAGUEST: Yes, you called it. I'm glad you liked it! As for Bridget, you're right, she isn't someone you can trust. But Dani is her daughter, and Bridget does love her children. Let's see what happens, shall we? Don't worry about the late review, and I hope you like the chapter.**

 **Guest: I'll update when I update.**

 **Calligraphies: Well, it WAS their honeymoon, so yeah, they were being naughty. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And let's get onto the chapter, shall we?**

 **Kaz: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

"C'mon!" Oliver protested as my character raced past him in the game, taking out the alien enemy before he could.

"C'mon, give our team a chance, dude!" Dani complained as well, sending me a quick glare. "Take out your own bad guys."

"Ha!" I smirked cheekily as the time ran out and my team, the team with the most points, took victory.

"I'm bored of playing this game." Dani complained, tossing her remote control onto the couch. "We've been playing it for three days straight."

"Well, it's been raining for three days straight and there's nothing else to do." Oliver pointed out with a sigh. "Besides, we've been playing this game for three days straight. You spent the last two days in bed with the flu."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She rolled her eyes, slumping back on the couch. "Being sick sucks."

"Yeah it does." I agreed. Bree came walking down the stairs then.

"Ugh, is it still raining?" She complained, glancing outside. She sniffed lightly, heading into the kitchen, where Skylar was pouring over a stack of magazines. "Where're Calla and Chase? They weren't upstairs."

"He's at Mighty Med 2.0, re-calibrating the bionic capsules that Davenport just delivered, and she's down in Mission Command, working on something." Dani offered. "She tried to explain it, but she used a lot of big words and talked about stuff like sub-particles and a radiation detector."

"I think Chase had the right idea, getting out. I'm going crazy in here." Skylar commented. "I hate the rain."

"Well, I don't blame you." Chase declared, walking in. I chuckled, bemused at the sight of him – he was sopping wet, dripping rain drops onto the floor. "It's raining buckets out there."

"Here." Dani laughed lightly, getting off the couch. She walked up the stairs, then came back a moment later, carrying a large, folded up towel in one hand. She tossed it to him, then headed into the kitchen. "Don't drip over the floor."

"Thanks." He nodded at her, beginning to dry his hair. "So, have you-"

"Achoo!" Oliver cut him off, sneezing loudly. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, leaning over the edge of the couch for a Kleenex.

"Great. Twin syndrome." I muttered. Chase glanced at me.

"Twin syndrome?" He repeated.

"Every time one of them gets sick, the other gets sick right after." I explained.

"That's not true." Oliver objected.

"Yes, it is." Skylar insisted.

"She's got a point, Ollie." Dani agreed, beginning to help Bree with dinner. She looked out the window, watching as the storm clouds accumulated over the city. "Look, I'm sure the weather will clear up soon. Until then, I say we bunk up here and wait it out."

I smirked, my mind already whirling. We COULD do that, or we could do something a little more fun.

 **Oliver's POV**

I grumbled to myself as I stumbled out of my room, my head feeling overly stuffed and my body aching. "I hate twin syndrome."

"Sorry." Dani met up with me in the hall, an apologetic smile on her face as we walked down the stairs. "Didn't mean to get you sick."

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes. I paused at the end of the stairs, frowning. "Uh, you okay?"

Bree raised her head, removing the towel over her head and revealing the bowl of hot water under her head. "You made me sick." She growled, her voice congested. Dani glanced at me.

"I can't tell which one of us she's glaring at." My sister whispered.

"Assume it's both and walk away." I whispered back. We both took a step back up the stairs, but stopped when the front door opened up and Kaz walked in, carrying a brown paper bag.

"Breakfast!" He called, walking past us to drop the bag on the table. "Guys, come and get it!"

"Why'd you go get breakfast?" Dani inquired, curious.

"And since when are you up before seven?" I added, looking inside the bag. I grimaced, my stomach turning, when I realized that they were all breakfast burritos. Suddenly, the nausea I'd been battling since I woke up rose to my throat. Swallowing thickly, I closed the bag, just in time to see Chase and Skylar come walking down the stairs.

"No thanks." Skylar shook her head, sitting on the couch. "My stomach's feeling off."

"Great, Dee, you got everyone sick." I accused lightly before glancing at Chase. "Calla feeling under the weather too?"

"Actually, she wasn't in bed when I woke up." He admitted. "I thought she was down here."

"No, sorry." Bree shook her head. "Maybe she left?"

" _Actually, Miss Calla is down in Mission Command."_ MISS, newly rebuilt by the two geniuses, offered.

"I'm gonna go see what she's up to." Chase decided.

"We'll come. Let's see what mad scientist is working on." Skylar offered. We all went to follow her, but Kaz grabbed Dani's hand, stopping her.

"Actually, you and me, we have plans." He informed her. She looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises." She commented, smiling in confusion. She let him lead her to the penthouse door. "Uh, we'll see you guys later!"

 **Kaz's POV**

"Where are we going?" Dani asked for the hundredth time as I led her through the wet alleys. It would have been faster if we'd taken the main roads, but I couldn't find an umbrella, so taking the alleys would keep us drier.

"I told you, it's a surprise." I reminded her.

"Then at least tell me what the occasion is." She insisted. "I mean breakfast, which I didn't get to eat, by the way, and now you made plans for us. Why?"

"Why do you girls always have to ask so many questions?" I retorted. She looked at me.

"Because if we don't, then that's when we end up stranded in the middle of nowhere with an empty tank of gas." She pointed out with a laugh. "Now, seriously, do you win the lottery, or…I know it's not your birthday, and Christmas isn't until next month, so, what's up?"

"I just thought, between Roddiseus and his crazy family, and cleaning up after that big fight, and you doing stuff for Liv, and us all setting up Mighty Med 2.0, we haven't had much time to ourselves, so I thought we deserved a date."

"Yes we do." Dani agreed with a bright smile. "So, you wanna tell me where you're taking me?"

"What part of surprise don't you get?" I demanded, turning the corner.

"The part where we've been walking around for half an hour and I'm wet and cold and I really hope this date you've planned is inside."

"This way." I chuckled and ducked out of the alley, onto the sidewalk. I led her up to a small, unassuming building, and, ignoring the CLOSED sign, I pushed open the door.

"It's closed. Are we breaking in?" I smiled at the curiosity in Dani's voice. She thought I could be performing a felony, and she sounded excited.

"No. Sorry to disappoint." I replied. "Apparently, we saved the owner, Frank, during Roman and Riker's attack." I led her through the small hallway to the main part of the building. "He wanted to thank us, so he said we could use this place whenever we wanted."

"Whoa." Dani grinned, looking around the place. It was like one of those old, retro arcades, with games lining the walls. Just from the entrance, you could see some of the older ones, like Pac-Man, as well as some of the new ones, like that cool Walking Dead shooting game. "Sweet."

"So you like?" I grinned. She beamed.

"I like." She agreed, grabbing my hand. "Ten bucks says I can kick your butt at Storm Racer!"

"In your dreams!" I laughed, following her to the game.

 **Oliver's POV**

When we got down to Mission Command, it became obvious that Calla had indeed been down here all night. There were scrap papers everywhere, along with a large white board, almost indecipherable scribbles written across it. Calla herself was sitting in the middle of the room, next to a microscope and several colorful vials, along with a few devices I couldn't name. "Is anyone else getting a distinctly Beautiful Mind vibe?" I questioned, only-half joking. Calla didn't even look up, scribbling down details about whatever she was doing on a notepad.

"Baby?" Chase put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. "What are you doing?"

"Working." She mumbled lightly. "Busy."

Chase glanced hesitantly at the multiple coffee mugs discarded on one of the other consols. "Are you sure you don't want to take a break?" He asked. She put down her pencil and then pulled the microscope.

"Look." She instructed. He frowned.

"Maybe later." He told her. "Right now, you look like you need a nap."

"Another coffee, actually." She corrected. "You wanna know why I pulled an all-nighter? Look."

Sighing, Chase looked into the microscope. I glanced around the room, frowning as I tried to make out Calla's writing. It was messy, having clearly be written in a haste, and what words I could make out were not part of my vocabulary. "No way." I looked back at Chase as he stared into the microscope. He tore his gaze away from it to stare at his wife. "That's not…it can't be."

"It is." Calla gave him a wide grin, eyes alit with excitement.

"Can't be what?" Skylar asked the obvious question.

"Zano fuel." For some reason, they were both really excited about that. Bree looked at them, surprised.

"Zano fuel?" She repeated, as if the word was familiar to her. "Like, seriously?"

"I'm Queen of the geniuses." Calla gasped, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"What is zano fuel?" I asked, confused.

"Right, sorry. You guys weren't there." Calla sighed. "Okay, so about five and a half years ago, we were in the lab, preparing for a mission, when Leo suddenly appeared in front of us. The thing is, he wasn't our Leo. He was Leo, from seven years in the future."

"He time travelled?" I looked at them, shocked. Chase nodded.

"While he was there, he explained some of the details of how he came back, and let us take a look at his fuel." Chase added.

"I've been trying to replicate it for years now, but I didn't have the proper ingredients." Calla continued. "Until now." She grabbed a marker, turned the white board around to show us the empty side of it. "Okay, so I've been working with those rocks I got from Caldera. Now, I melted some of them down because I wanted to see how strong an alloy it would make, and I realized that it wasn't like anything on our periodic table. So, figuring that I could introduce a new element to the world, which technically, I did. I'm calling it Caldaria. Anyway, when I went to figure out how many protons it had, I found this."

Using the marker, she drew two circles on the white board, one smaller and inside the other. Then, she drew small dots scattered between the two circles. "Okay, so these are where the neutrons and protons are." She explained, pointing at the smaller circle. "The electrons circle this line." She continued, gesturing at the other circle. She then pointed at the tiny dots in between the circles. "But these, they aren't electrons, protons, or neutrons."

"Then what are they?" Bree asked, confused. Calla smirked.

"Well, I'll give you a hint. They're vibrating at over 300 million miles an hour, way faster than anything else on this planet." She smirked.

"They're moving faster than the speed of light." I realized. I frowned, trying to remember the right word for particles that moved faster than the speed of light. "They're tachyonic particles."

"Exactly. Oh," She glanced at Skylar and Bree, realizing they may not know what they are. "Tachyonic particles are particles that could move at the speed of light. Now, they were considered to be hypothetical because they disobey the laws of physics, but I guess Caldera and other planets outside our solar system have their own version of physics."

"Okay, that's cool, I guess, but what does that have to do with time travel?" Skylar questioned. Calla shrugged.

"Well, the details are complicated, but tachyons can be used to build an tachyonic antitelephone, which sends messages between two time zones. Now, theoretically, if I can harness that kind of tech, I can expand it to send items and, eventually, people back in time." Calla shrugged. "At least, that was my hope."

"Was?" Chase frowned at her. Calla sighed.

"I don't have enough rocks, and with Caldera still at war…" She gestured at Skylar, who smiled apologetically.

"Which means you can't get any more." She realized. Calla nodded.

"Hence why I sent the entire night trying to replicate the formula." She sighed, leaning on her elbow. Suddenly, Bree sneezed. Calla looked up at her, a mildly offended look on her face. "Out."

"What?" She questioned.

"Get out before you screw with my findings. You could corrupt my samples, and I'll lose what I do have." The genius accused, pointing towards the door. "Out."

"Fine." Bree waved her hand dismissively and walked towards the door. Then, Skylar sucked in a breath, her eyes widening as she tried desperately to hold in a sneeze. Thinking quickly, I put my finger under her nose, hoping it would help.

"We're going to go too." I decided. Skylar nodded, moving my hand away as the need to sneeze disappeared.

"We're all going to go." Chase added. He put his hands on Calla's shoulders and gently pulled her from her seat. "C'mon, I'm taking you to bed."

"You know, if I hadn't just spent the last 34 hours staring at molecules, I'd turn that into a dirty joke.' She commented, defeated as she followed us up to the main floor. Skylar slumped down on the couch as Chase took Calla upstairs.

"You alright?" I asked her. She shook her head before dropping it into her hands.

"My head feels achy, my nose is clogged, and I'm pretty sure my stomach is doing somersaults." She complained. "I hate that I'm vulnerable to Normo sicknesses."

"Want me to get you something for your stomach?" I offered. She shook her head again.

"Dani didn't get this sick." She complained.

"Actually, she did and just hid it." I commented. I frowned; Dani usually didn't try and hide something like that. In fact, when she was sick, she usually camped out on the couch and gave us these pitiful looks until we tried to make her feel better. Then again, she was acting a little strange lately, between doing more secret stuff for Liv and building up her mental barriers higher than they used to be. Then again, maybe her being sick just made her crankier or something and she was just trying to get her space.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Oh my God, I hate you." Dani complained as I beat her for the third time at air hockey.

"Oh, please, you love me." I retorted, smirking. She rolled her eyes and was about to reply back when she got a text. Grabbing her phone, she read it, and for a brief moment her smile faltered. Then, as soon as it disappeared, her smile was back. "Who is it?"

"Liv." She replied with a sigh.

"About that secret project of yours." I commented. She gave me a look. "Look, it's not exactly a secret that you're keeping secrets." She looked surprised. "Like I haven't noticed how often Red's sending you on little mission. I mean, just last week you missed the entire MISS-debacle because you were out running an errand for her."

"It's…it's complicated, Kaz. I'm helping Alivia take down a big bad and she needs my help. But the more people that get involved, the harder it's going to be." She insisted. I gave her a look. "Kaz, look, it's just safer this way."

"But why does she need you to do all of this? She's got a whole team that she can use." I grumbled. Dani gave me an apologetic smile.

"I'm the only one who can do what she needs." She said. "Kaz, I am asking you not to pry. Please."

"Fine." I agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you. And hey, if I get in over my head, I will come straight to you." She told me. "I promise."

"Okay." I guess that was something. She smiled.

"Good. Now c'mon. I want a rematch." She declared, hopping between both feet, getting pumped.

"I've beaten you three times. Don't you think you've had enough?" I asked teasingly, getting back into the spirit of the date.

"Nope!" She insisted petulantly. "Not until I beat you."

"Then we're going to be here all day." I replied. She shrugged.

"Then I guess we will." She agreed, smirking.

 **Oliver's POV**

"This sucks." I complained, rubbing the bridge of my nose. My head was throbbing painfully, and my entire body ached as if I'd just taken a beating. The brightness from the lights weren't helping. Groaning, I dropped my arm on top of my face, trying to block it out. "I feel like I'm dying."

"Don't be so dramatic." I heard Chase say. I removed my arm in time to see him place a steam bowl in front of me. I grimaced and turned my head away. "You'll feel better if you eat something."

"Can't stomach it." I retorted, feeling my stomach turn.

"Dude, you're a doctor, so I shouldn't have to explain this to you, but you feel sick because your stomach is as empty as it is." Chase reminded me. When I refused to move, he sighed. "Eat it and I'll let you and Kaz borrow the cyber cloaks. I know you've been wanting to use them for some sort of prank."

"Ugh, fine." I reluctantly sat up and grabbed the bowl off the table. Chase nodded, then moved to sit next to Bree, trying to coax her into eating. Surprisingly, despite her usual stubbornness, Bree took the bowl without much of a complaint. I took a small sip of the soup, then licked my lips. "This isn't bad."

"It's Tasha's secret recipe." Bree explained, eating hers. She looked a little worse than earlier, but not that much. Just a bit paler. "She used to make this for us whenever we were sick."

"That's nice." Mom would kinda just leave us to ourselves. Something about not wanting to get sick herself. "Hey, where's Skylar?"

"In the bathroom, worshipping the porcelain god, if you know what I mean." Calla commented, walking out from the bathroom. She grabbed a hand towel and wet it. "By the way, did you know that Calderan vomit is acid? Not sure I needed to know that, but interesting nonetheless."

"This is Dani's fault." Bree complained. "She got us sick."

"But AJ got her sick." Skylar pointed out, stumbling out from the bathroom. Calla gave her a sympathetic look and handed her the towel. Skylar dropped onto the couch next to me, wiping her mouth. She sneezed loudly and accidently spitting out a blob of acid spit. It hit the wall, burning a hole in it. "Oops."

"Well, that's disgusting." Bree commented. Calla walked over, carrying water bottles. She sighed and shook her head, handing them over to us.

"Can't we go one week without causing some damage to our home?" She questioned rhetorically.

"This is good." Skylar commented, sipping at her soup. "Chase, Bree, your step-mom is a genius in the kitchen."

"Soup is, like, the one thing she can cook." Calla assured us. "Though, apparently, her roast beef is just as good."

"Please, you should hear what Eddy has to say about her roast beef." Bree rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure he's written songs about how bad it is."

"Ironic, seeing as he doesn't eat." Chase added. Skylar and I exchanged looks, briefly wondering who Eddy was. But neither of us really cared at this point.

 **Xxx**

"You know what I don't get?" Bree asked curiously. It was much later, and by now, Skylar, Bree, and I were all curled up on the couch, surrounded by Kleenex boxes, empty soup bowls, and a garbage can that had come in handy much earlier. Calla had gone up to bed, while Chase cleaned up the kitchen. "With all your technology at Mighty Med, how come you guys haven't found a cure for the flu yet?"

"Well, we have, actually, but it doesn't work on every species." I shrugged. "Humans like us and humanoids like Skylar…we're out of luck."

"Who's out of luck?" Kaz opened the door to the Penthouse, Dani following him in with a dark green stuffed dolphin in her hands.

"Us." Skylar sighed, laying her head on my shoulder. Dani smirked.

"Well, it only took me 24 tries, but I finally beat Kaz at air hockey." She declared, holding up her stuffed dolphin.

"And then she made we win her that in one of those arcade claw games." Kaz added. He kissed her on the cheek, then headed into the kitchen. "Hey, soup."

"That's ours." I told him. "You're not sick, you can make your own food."

"Cranky." Dani accused lightly. "But, uh, sorry I got all of you sick."

"Nah, we've decided that it's AJ's fault." Skylar assured her. "So, how was your date?"

"It was fun." Dani smiled brightly. "I think I needed it."

"We all need a break." Bree commented. She raised her head. "Hey, next week? Girl's week away from the Penthouse?"

"Sounds fun." Skylar agreed. I looked at her.

"What about us? Why do you guys get all the fun?" I questioned.

"Because we're prettier than you." My sister teased, laughing even as I threw my Kleenex box at her.

 **Kihonne: Okay, that was a bit of a fluff chapter, but I think we all needed a little Dani/Kaz cuteness after her meeting with Bridget last week. And before any of you ask, was the zano fuel bit with Calla a hint that there will be a time travel chapter in the future? Yes, yes it was. Anyway, since this chapter took me longer than expected, and since I have a big midterm worth 25% of my mark for the class, I'm not going to update next week like planned, but the week after. That being said, this is the new schedule:**

 **June 26** **th** **: Truth or Dare (do not send in truths or dares please)**

 **July 3** **rd** **: Under Pressure**

 **July 10** **th** **: Secrets and Santas**

 **Oh, and yes, I changed the order too. This order makes a little more sense with some of the plot, and besides, after a HIATUS, I figured I'd treat you all to a little surprise. Trust me, you're going to LOVE the next chapter. Anyway, it's about one in the morning, so I'm going to go crash. Fans of Love and War, you will get your chapter up sometime tomorrow (I've got work and then I need to finish the last bit, so I don't know when tomorrow) and until next time, don't forget to review!**


	22. All I Want for Christmas

**Kihonne: Alright folks, I'm back! Thank you again for your patience, and hopefully, you'll find it's been well-rewarded. Alright, so the order of the chapters have changed a bit because Truth or Dare was giving me a hard time. So, I'm pushing that one back a bit, and I'm giving the Christmas-in-July themed one early! But I think you'll nonetheless. Anyway, before we move onto that, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Guest: Off the top of my head? Uh, there's the IQ Alarm Clock, the Paragun, the Plasma Gun, the Concussion Blaster, the Geo-Leap Watch, the Geo-Leap Bracelet, Leo's fire ball ability, MISS, and probably a couple of other things I can't remember. I used to have a list, but my brother accidently deleted it and I haven't had the chance to re-do it yet.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. You're right about it getting hectic really soon, and I'm glad you liked how I wrote the zano fuel bits. I wanted to make it as logical as possible, rather than just saying science words and hope people believe it. Unfortunately, because of how I switched the chapters around, we won't be seeing the Academy soon, but don't worry, we'll go back eventually. And we'll see a few more of our favorite bionic people long before that too. Anyway, thanks for being so supportive of the HIATUS, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: I remember that episode. It was a good one. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Calligraphies: I'm so glad you liked it! And yes, time travel! That's going to be really fun.**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you like them together. This season is really going to focus on their relationship, especially with all the Bridget stuff thrown in the mix. Obviously, I can't answer that question without spoiling, so you're going to have to keep reading to see how this will develop, but you're right in thinking that Dani is very conflicted over the situation. And yes, the time travel chapter is coming up fairly soon. It's going to be an exciting chapter. Anyway, thanks for being understanding and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Dani: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs in it, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"Deck the halls with balls of holly, fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la." I sang, wrapping a string of popcorn around the pine tree Kaz and Skylar had dragged in yesterday. Calla, who was trying to work on her laptop, sent me an annoyed look, to which I responded by singing even louder.

It was December 24th, the day before Christmas, and everyone was pretty excited. Between the Secret Santa shopping and the decorating, it had been a pretty busy couple of weeks. Busy, but relatively happy. Even villains, mother included, seemed to be taking a vacation. In fact, the holidays seemed to be about go off with almost no problems. Almost…

"Kaz, that's a stupid idea." Calla and I simultaneously rolled our eyes at the sound of Chase's idea. Kaz's family had always celebrated the holidays a little differently – not that I complained; the couple of times Ollie and I spent Christmas with the Broadmans were some of the best Christmases we'd ever had – and apparently, Chase wasn't a fan of any of the admittedly very strange traditions Kaz was trying to include. Deciding to let them battle it out, the rest of us had pretty much been ignoring them.

"What? No, it's not." My boyfriend insisted, following Chase into the kitchen.

"You want to hide a pickle in the tree." Chase pointed. Kaz looked at him, confused. "We are not hiding a pickle in the tree!"

"Why not? It's tradition!" Kaz protested, bewildered. Thankfully, before the argument could turn serious, the front door swung open and Bree and Jaden walked in.

"Guess who just got in from the airport?" Bree sang, even though guessing would be irrelevant at this point.

"Hey." Calla put her laptop down and ran to her brother. He hugged her tightly for a moment, then pulled away and fixed her with a skeptical look.

"Time travel, seriously?" He questioned. Calla rolled her eyes at his disapproving tone, laughing a little. "Do you not remember any time travel movie? They almost never end well."

"Relax, Jay. It's not like it'll work without me getting my hands on any more Caldera rock, and according to Skylar, that's impossible, so you don't have to worry."

"Good." Jaden sighed in relief. "The last thing any of us need is for you to go back and time and stop someone important from being born, or inventing something important before the real guy does it."

"Please. I know that if I crack time travel that I'm only allowed to observe and not interfere." Calla promised him, walking back to the couch. "Any idiot knows that getting involved with the past just spells disaster."

"Good." Jaden agreed as Calla sat down and began to type at her computer, sending some email to one of her coworkers at Davenport Industries.

"So, Jaden, how long are you staying?" Ollie inquired. Jaden hesitated.

"Uh, not sure yet." He admitted. "Uh, so how's the secret Santa going? I hear it's going better than ours at the Academy."

"What happened at the Academy?" Skylar asked, walking downstairs with Ollie.

"Well, last year most of the students got confused, because they weren't sure whether they were receiving gifts from the people whose name they drew, or buying one for them, and Adam, Spin, Bob, and Daniel were encouraging the confusion, which didn't help." The older boy explained. I glanced at my phone, hearing it vibrate. "What about you guys?"

"Well, we were smart. Everyone has two people to buy gifts for, plus their significant other." I explained while reading the text. Frowning, I reached for my bag. "Speaking of which, I still have to go buy mine."

"You haven't bought them yet? Dee, I'm not sure what stores will be open today." Ollie scolded. I waved him off.

"I'm sure I'll find something open." I lied. I'd bought my gifts last week – a How to Speak Klingon book for Calla, a Captain America Watch for my brother, and the entire history of Mighty Comics for Kaz. Still, I couldn't think of a better excuse for my disappearance than last minute shopping – I doubted 'I'm going to sneak off to meet up with our super villain mother' would go over all that well. "I'll catch you guys later." I told them, heading out.

As I headed towards the coordinates she sent me, I found myself wondering when it had become so easy to lie to my friends and family.

 **Calla's POV**

"So, you're not going to admit that you're my Secret Santa?" Kaz questioned, grilling me. Apparently, he didn't get the part about it being a secret. Either that, or he didn't like the secret part. He'd been trying to guess all week which two people drew his name, and though most of the team knew it had been Skylar and I, none of us were dumb enough to actually tell him.

"Well, I can't really admit a lie, can I?" I teased. He scowled, much to my amusement. I leaned my chin on my hand, gently discarding the book I'd been reading. "Alright, so could you please explain the pickle thing to me?"

Before he could, Skylar walked in, carrying a few boxes of cookie mix. "Okay, could someone explain why Bree is making me help her make cookies that we aren't allowed to eat?" She questioned, confused.

"She seems to think that if she overly-bribe Santa with cookies, he'll give her better presents." Jaden chuckled. Skylar frowned.

"You guys keep saying that word. Who is Santa?" She inquired, confused.

"Right, alien. No Christmas." Oliver realized. "Basically, Santa is this guy who comes in through the chimney while you sleep and leaves people gifts on Christmas."

"Wait, so a guy is supposed to break in here later, and we're supposed to trust that he won't steal anything?" Skylar questioned. We all exchanged looks.

"…Technically, yes." I agreed. Kaz and Oliver's phones both vibrated then. They both reached for them at the same time, but, judging by the way they both froze and went pale, I didn't think it was Dani asking for gift ideas. "What's wrong?"

"We have to go." Kaz untangled himself from the blankets on the couch as he and Oliver got up.

"Liv's at Mighty Med. Apparently, she's hurt really bad." Oliver explained. We all looked at them sharply.

"What? What happened?" Skylar demanded. Oliver shook his head helplessly.

"Not sure yet. The text just said 'Geminus, Mighty Med, critical'." He said in a hurry. "We've got to go. Send Dani to Mighty Med when she gets back."

"Will do!" Chase called after them as they raced out the door. We all exchanged looks. "I hope their friend's alright."

"It's Alivia; she's tough. I'm sure she'll be okay." Skylar insisted, though she still look worried. Bree came jogging down the stairs just then.

"Alright. Cookie time!" She declared, clapping her hands together. No sooner had she finished speaking than the lights went out.

 **Dani's POV**

"You know, I have to admit, this subway station is getting a bit old." I commented to myself, walking through the tunnel into the usual meeting spot for Mom and I. She was already waiting for me, looking at her phone with a frown. "Merry Christmas, Mother."

"I see you're enjoying the holidays." She nodded at my red and green striped sweater. "That's what you decided to wear today?"

I rolled my eyes; figures that Mom would get back to criticizing my style choice sooner rather than later. "Well, I like it. And it was a gift from Ollie."

"I see." She still didn't approve of my clothing, but if I lived to impress my mother, I wouldn't be the person I was today, so I could care less what she thought of my sweater.

"So, I thought you mentioned you were moving your operation." I commented, looking around. "You and I both know that this subway station can't be what you planned on for your secret lair."

"You are right; we've moved our main base to somewhere more comfortable." She admitted.

"Where?" I inquired. She gave me a look. "Oh c'mon! I think I deserve to know."

"I believe you do, but I have to think about what this will look like to my employees." She told me. "You are still part of the Elite Force, after all."

"I'm on your side." I told her. "How do I prove that to you?"

"Your time will come. Soon, you will have to choose, publicly, which side you've chosen." She explained.

Publicly; the word echoed in my head. Publicly meant I would either have to betray my mother and lose everything I'd been working towards, or betray my team in a way that they would never forgive me for. It wasn't supposed to turn out like that. It was supposed to be easy, and no one was supposed to get hurt. Not for the first time, I wondered how good of an idea this all was.

"Is that why you called me here?" I asked, swallowing thickly.

"No. I need some information." She told me. "I need to know about the other superheroes. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their locations-"

"Why?" I questioned. "You said no one had to get hurt."

"They will fight against me, Danica. You must know that." She reminded me. "I need to know how best to protect ourselves from them."

"Or to attack them." I insisted defensively.

"People may get hurt, but I promise, no one will be killed. At worst, they'll be imprisoned." She reasoned. "And only until they're willing to play nice. Then we'll let them go and they can be on their way."

Well, she wasn't thinking murder. That was something, at least. "I-I don't have that information on me. It's all in the cyber desk and there's no way I can get it for you without getting caught by the others."

"I am aware, and I'd like to keep our involvement together a secret for the time being." She agreed. "So I sent in a team of my employees to retrieve it."

That made me stop. "What?" I demanded. "You sent some of your henchmen into our penthouse? We have a state of the art security system – they're going to get caught!"

"They can handle themselves, honey." She assured me.

"Not what I'm worried about. Ollie is in there! Kaz too, and the rest of my team." I argued. "If they catch them, there's going to be a fight."

"I've already ensured that neither Oliver or your little boyfriend will be in the vicinity." Mom told me. I frowned, not sure how she could have accomplished that so easily. "As for the rest of your team, they will not be seriously injured, only incapacitated."

"I have to go." I blurted out suddenly.

"Stay out of it, Danica." Mom began, but I shook my head.

"No, I…I have to go shopping." I said. "That's where I think I am now, and if I don't come back with gifts, they're going to be suspicious."

"You're upset with me." She observed. I sighed.

"Well, you sent some guys to attack my friends." I pointed out angrily. "And now I have to figure out a reason I'm not going to answer my phone when they try to call me and the boys back to base. So, yeah, I'm a little upset that you just made my life even more difficult." I sighed irritably. "I'll call you later."

I stormed out of the tunnel, trying to figure out what I was going to do about this.

 **Calla's POV**

"What the hell?" Skylar questioned, frowning as we all looked around the room. "The power went out?"

"Apparently." Chase and I exchanged looks.

"Well, there's what, 2000 apartments in Davenport tower? Most of them probably have lit up Christmas trees like ours, so maybe all those lights combined blew the breaker or something." I reasoned.

"Makes sense." Chase shrugged.

"I'll go grab some candles." Bree offered.

"I'll help." Skylar offered, following her upstairs. I nodded and glanced at Chase.

"I'm going to go check to make sure that the power lines didn't get covered in ice. It could explain the blackout, but that turn dangerous fast if it is the cause." I told him. He nodded and grabbed his phone.

"I'm gonna text Oliver, Kaz, and Dani. Give them a heads up." He replied. I nodded and headed out onto the veranda. Snow had been falling steadily for the past couple of days, a nice treat from years of hot, Californian Christmases. Leaning on the edge of the veranda's wall, I peered over at the power lines below us. Even from this distance, I could tell that they were completely black, and therefore untouched by the snow.

Just as I stepped back from the edge, something slammed into me, throwing me roughly against the wall. Coughing as the sudden blow emptied my lungs, I stared up in confusion at my attacker. I recognized him instantly as Mort, the lizard-guy who kidnapped Dani and I a couple of years ago. "You!"

"Stay down." He told me. I heard crashing come from the Penthouse, letting me know that he wasn't the only intruder. "We don't want to kill you."

"Good luck with that!" I spat, pushing myself off the ground. Out of years of instinct, I reached my plasma gun, only to find that it was still inside.

"Ooh, little girl doesn't have her toy." He teased. I smirked.

"Don't need one." I replied, before simultaneously spinning around and activating my proton disks. I threw one directly at him, the proton disk slamming into his stomach and sending him flying backwards. He crashed through the glass pane window and into the kitchen. "Chase!" I raced into the living room to find him and Jaden fighting…Tank?

The former bionic student was indeed standing in our living room, glaring at the two boys. Already I'd missed quite a bit – one of the chairs had been turned on its side, my brother standing behind it, aiming my Concussion Blaster at Tank's head, while Chase recovered from a blow that looked like it hurt. My husband stood up, a little dazed, glaring at Tank.

Our former student let out a roar – he'd never been one to articulate anything in real words – then charged at Chase. Both Chase and Jaden reacted instantly – the former whipping out his bo staff and the latter taking a shot at Tank. Unfortunately, Tank geo-leaped away, reappearing at the other end of the room. The blast from my brother's weapon shot past where Tank had been standing and blasted the wall a foot away from me. "Shit, sorry CeeCee!"

"Behind you!" I shouted as Tank lunged at Jaden. I didn't get the chance to see what happened though, before Mort spit, literally spit, a glob of green goo at me. I tried to turn, to get out of the way, but it caught me in the arm and trapped it against the wall. Try as I might, I could not break my arm free.

"C'mon!" I protested in frustration. Trapped like this, I couldn't even use my proton disks properly, forcing me to watch as Mort teamed up with Tank to fight Jaden and Chase.

I pulled desperately at my arm, praying that whatever was keeping my arm pinned to the wall would give way so I could escape. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the boys fighting the intruders. Tank, on his own, wasn't dangerous enough to beat both of them, but combined with his new partner, they looked pretty hard to beat.

Mort was fighting my brother, expertly dodging the Concussion Blaster's attacks. One of the downsides to the weapon was that it was slow to reset and heavy to move, making it harder for Jaden to shoot a continuous stream of attacks. Chase, on the other hand, was using his bo staff to fend off Tank. Surprisingly, it was like the weapon wasn't doing anything as the former student deflected it. That must mean, along with his geo-leaping ability, he had his super strength back. Awesome, just…awesome.

Suddenly, we all heard a loud crash from above us, and it occurred to me that Bree and Skylar were still up there, looking for candles. Since they hadn't come down yet to see what was going on, I figured they must be fighting an intruder of their own. The question was, was that crash a good sign or a bad one?

I got my answer a moment later, when another one of our former students, Lexi, came running down the stairs. She paused on the final step, looking around at the fighting boys and smirked. "Good. Keep it up, boys. I just finished dealing with the girls." She tossed over her shoulder as she headed for the hyperlift. "I'll get what we came for."

"No!" I lunged forward, only for a sharp, painful tugging on my shoulder to remind me why I wasn't fighting. "Guys!"

Chase glanced at me in between dodging fists from Tank, then at Lexi in time to see her take the hyperlift down to Mission Command. Then, he made a split second decision. "Calla, duck!" He shouted, before spinning around and flinging his bo staff towards me. I dropped as low as I could manage and the bo staff cut across the top of hardened goo, cracking it just enough for me to break my arm free. "Go!"

He did a back flip over the fallen chair and landed just behind it, putting a little more space between him and Tank. I ducked past them, racing towards the hyperlift. I tossed him his bo staff as I went, smiling when he caught it with ease and spun back into a fight stance.

"Nice try, kid!" Mort snapped, leaping into the hyperlift just as the doors slid shut. He stood up straight, fists out and ready to fight, just as I pressed my back to a wall, holding a proton disk to his neck.

 **Dani's POV**

A little over three months ago, Kaz and I were trying to figure out a new place for us to hang out, without the prying eyes of our team, my brother in particular. So, we'd started exploring and, to make sure we didn't get lost, mapping out the tunnels beneath Centium City. We found some pretty cool things down there, but eventually decided that maybe the tunnels weren't for us. We'd abandoned our search, but during all that time exploring the tunnels, I'd memorized the maps we'd made. As it turns out, that was a pretty smart thing to do. What would usually be a long drive through the crowded streets turned into a five-minute run through some less-than-cleanly underground passages.

I raced into Mission Command, though I still hadn't figured out what I was going to do when confronted with either the others or my mother's henchmen. I didn't have long to think, however. When I passed the entrance to the tunnels, I found myself face to face with a tall, dark haired girl wearing a black leather jacket and jeans. She was bleeding, I noticed, from a deep looking cut on her neck. A black eye was beginning to form on her left side – the only sign that she'd been in a fight at all.

She paused when she saw me, then smirked and turned back to the cyberdesk. "Ah, you're Bridget's brat, right?" She guessed as she activated the computer. "Name's Lexi. I thought you were supposed to be out or something."

"Came back early." I replied before looking around. Aside from us, Mission Command was completely empty. "The others?"

"Your team or mine?" She questioned, typing at the computer. "Most of them are still fighting upstairs. Bree and that alien girl are trapped in their bedroom. Should take them at least a few hours to get out."

"A few hours?" I questioned. She smirked cockily.

"Wooden doors are easier to open than carbonex." She said simply, before scowling. "Damn it!" She slammed her hands down on the cyber desk. "I'm decent with computers, but that Calla hyper-intensified the security."

"She's protective of her stuff." I defended her. "Look, I know my mom told you to get that information on the superheroes, but you need to go. They don't know about my connection to you guys, and you're going to blow my cover. And by time you get past Calla's security, they'll be down here."

"Well, we need that information, so what do you suggest?" She questioned, annoyed. I frowned, then, suddenly…it hit me. It was the perfect way to protect my cover, handle the Mom situation, and Mother would still consider the mission a success.

"I have an idea." I told Lexi, smiling.

 **Calla's POV**

"Well, I see we're at an impasse." Mort observed, not at all shaken by how close my weapon was to his jugular vein.

"Really? I don't see it that way." I smirked, trying to appear more confident than I was. "This isn't your ordinary elevator, and the voice commands are endless. All I have to do is give the word, and it'll send me and me alone to deal with Lexi."

"Yes, it would." He agreed. "If the voice commands were working."

My smile faltered slightly. "Of course they're working." I lied.

"Not with the power out. Your generator back-up only powers the basic hyperlift operations and the lights in Mission Command." He reminded me. "Since I'm standing in front of the hyperlift controls, you're. And since Tank is keeping your two friends busy, and Lexi's already dealt with the speedster and Skylar Storm, you're all alone too."

I swallowed, processing what he said. I wasn't worried about the alone bit – I could handle myself just fine, thank you very much – but some of the things he said, he couldn't have possibly known. He couldn't have known that Oliver, Dani, and Kaz were all out of the Penthouse, nor could he have known about mechanical things like the hyperlift.

"How'd you know that?" I questioned sharply. He looked at me. "About the hyperlift, how'd you know that? Have you been watching us?"

"Didn't need to." He sneered. "Not when we've got someone on the inside."

I froze. No…no way. One of us, a traitor? That didn't make sense! We would never betray each other. We were a team, we were a family. "You're lying." I accused. Mort nodded.

"Maybe I am." He admitted. "But you can't take that chance, can you?"

With a cocky smirk, he slammed his fist into the down button and we speed towards Mission Command.

 **Dani's POV**

The moment the hyperlift doors opened, I blasted Lexi full of electricity. Not enough to kill, but enough to send her flying across the room. Calla followed suit, using her proton disks to send Mort (I should have guessed he'd be here) racing across Mission Command. "I am getting really tired of people breaking in here." I told Calla. She nodded.

"Diddo." She agreed. "When'd you get back?"

"Just now." I lied. "The power was out, so I figured taking the tunnels and using the hyperlift would be faster than taking the stairs, and I found her on the cyberdesk. And seriously, Mort, what are you doing here?"

I looked at him, exasperated. He stood up, smirking at us. "You know what, I don't care." I decided, shooting a blast of electrical energy at the wall next to him. It left a scorch mark a couple of inches away, just close enough to convince Calla that was I was trying to hurt him.

"We're out of here." Lexi declared. She lunged at Mort, grabbed his hand, then geo-leaped away.

"Where'd they go?" I demanded, looking around.

"I don't know." Calla shook her head helplessly. "But I think they're really gone."

Her phone buzzed then and she answered it quickly. "Chase?" She let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, us too. They just vanished…" She paused, listening. "Oh, Dani got back a couple of minutes ago…Probably still at Mighty Med. I'll check in with them later…what? Seriously?" She stopped and sighed. "Actually, it's Lexi; I shouldn't be so surprised. I think I've got something down here that'll work. We'll be up soon."

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"Where do I start?" Calla questioned. She frowned and shook her head. "Sorry. Something Mort said to me."

"What did he say?" I questioned, frowning.

"That there's a mole. That someone's been passing along information to them." She told me. Damn, no wonder she looked so shaken up. And seriously Mort, are you trying to get me busted? "It's not true. It can't be true."

"Exactly." I agreed. "He was just trying to get in your head, throw you off your game."

"Exactly, unless…" Calla typed on the computer, and her frown turned to one of confusion to one of despair. "No, no, no…no!" Her eyes went wide. "They copied everything off the cyber desk onto a memory stick, then wiped the entire system."

"All the files?" I repeated. She nodded.

"Everything. Superhero files, our own personal files and notes…even MISS." She murmured. She paused for a moment, then a look of dread crossed her face. "My God."

"What?" I asked quickly.

"They didn't break into the system – I wrote the security system's code, there'd be a digital fingerprint. They had to have used a password. One of our passwords." She looked at me, eyes blown wide. "Mort was right."

"About one of us being a mole?" I questioned. "Calla, c'mon. Who would do that?"

"I don't know, but it's the only thing that makes sense." She frowned. "The only way into this system without tripping my security system is through our own passwords. And without MISS, there's no way to tell who did it."

"But a mole?" I insisted, shaking my head. "No way."

"I thought Mort was lying…I hoped anyway. But…" She glanced upwards, towards the ceiling. Bree, Chase, Skylar, and Jaden were all upstairs, oblivious to what Mort had told Calla. "Who? Why?"

She started to head for the hyperlift, but I stopped her. "Wait." I told her. "We can't say anything about what Mort said.

"Why the hell not?" She demanded, wrenching her arm away from me.

"Because, if one of them is a mole, and that's a big if, then we don't want to tip them off." I advised. "It'll make everyone paranoid of everyone. It's better to just keep this to ourselves for the time being. Too many people investigating each other will just get complicated."

She sighed. "You're right." She agreed reluctantly. I smirked. "I just…I hate lying to them."

"Who knows? Maybe none of them is the mole." I suggested brightly. "No need to worry them until we know for sure."

"Right. And I hope you're right about there not being a mole." She murmured. I nodded.

"I am sure that none of our friends is a traitor." I assured her, shoving my hands in my pockets. She nodded, then stepped towards the hyperlift. I followed her, unconsciously turning the memory stick in my pocket over in my hands.

 **Calla's POV**

"So you're sure that Alivia was never at Mighty Med?" Dani questioned for the third time. Oliver gave her a reassuring smile. It had been a few hours since Lexi, Tank, and Mort's attack, and, after finally managing to get Bree and Skylar out of their room (Lexi had used her molecular manipulation ability to turn their door into carbonex, an almost unbreakable substance), we'd all sat down to discuss it.

"She was never there, and she's probably not even injured. Whoever sent us that message was trying to lure us out of here." He decided.

"They probably figured it would be easier to take five of us down than eight. They lured you guys away and got lucky with Dani being out at the time." Jaden mentioned.

"That may not have been luck. They may have been watching us." Dani added. She glanced at me and I knew we were both thinking the same thing: someone could have told them she was gone.

"What did they want?" Kaz asked.

"It's impossible to say, what with everything being deleted." I sighed before standing up to pace. "But that's not the important question."

"Then what is?" Skylar demanded. I turned to face her.

"Who are they working for?" I questioned. "I mean, none of them are big cheese material. Mort, as Kaz, Oliver, and Dani have said, is a henchman, not management. Lexi's more concerned about herself to create a team or anything, and I don't think Tank can even communicate in anything but grunts. Not to mention, they have nothing in common with each other."

"Except for us." Bree realized. I nodded.

"Exactly. So, I ask again, who are they working for?" I emphasized the question.

"Well, it has to be someone incredibly smart, with a knowledge of bionics." Chase commented. "We removed Tank and Lexi's chips ages ago. Someone had to rebuild them."

"Speaking of which, I thought they were in prison." Bree added.

"There was a break-out at that specific prison over a year ago." Jaden told her. "Adam, Leo, and the students were trying to track everyone down, but some slipped through the cracks."

"Well, we know who Mort used to work for." Skylar mentioned. She looked at the twins. "And your Mom has been quiet for too long not to be up to anything."

"But why would Mom be working with bionic people?" Dani questioned. "And why Centium City? Why here?"

"Because of us." Oliver realized. He looked at her. "She is a helicopter parent."

Dani didn't answer that. "She hasn't been in contact with you guys, right?" Chase questioned. They both looked at him. "Douglas would send us Facebook requests while he was on the run. I know not every villain is like him, but it's likely she might try to contact you, try to sway you guys to her side."

"We haven't heard from her." Oliver assured him.

"Let us know if she does." Skylar told them. "Okay?"

"Of course." Dani promised. "But we don't know for sure that it's her."

"No, but she is a possibility." Kaz told her, almost apologetically. She frowned and he gave her a smile. "Hey, we'll get her, okay? She won't get away with anything."

"Alright, well, I don't think there's anything more we can do tonight." Jaden decided, standing up. "So, I'm going to bed. Bree, you coming?"

"Absolutely." She agreed, taking his hand and following him up the stairs.

"Jay's right." Chase agreed. "We'll deal with the mess tomorrow."

"Boxing Day." I corrected. He looked at me. "We need a day off."

"Fair point. Boxing Day." He offered me his hand and I took it, heading upstairs with most of the others. Oliver stayed to help clean up a little bit – the broken glass from the window was everywhere – and Dani kept trying to call her friend Alivia, despite the fact that she was probably alright.

I tried to calm myself down, to relax, but even after a hot shower and a cup of tea, I couldn't sleep, knowing that there could be a traitor in our midst.

 **Bree's POV**

"Crazy day, right?" I sighed, leaning my head on my hand and smiled down at Jaden. He nodded, chuckling.

"Lexi's back. I know how much you hate her." He commented, sitting up. I hugged the bed sheets closer to me, nodding.

"She's like…evil me. And she's faster too." I sighed.

"You mean she was faster. Before you got your upgrade." Jaden pointed out. He rolled on his side, reaching for his bag.

"True." I agreed. He sat back up.

"Alright, so…I know we said no gifts this year…" He began.

"No!" I protested, blushing. "No, Jaden. I didn't get you anything."

"It's okay, I promise." He told me, leaning forward to kiss me on the forehead. "Besides, this is for both of us."

"…Alright?" He held out his closed fist, then opened it to reveal a small, silver key. "Jaden?"

"I quit my job at the Bionic Academy." I looked up at his, shocked. "I have nothing against your Dad or anyone at the Academy, but everyone was kind of doing their own thing, and I really wasn't actually working. Davenport was paying me because he's loyal to his employees, but I wasn't really earning my keep."

"Alright." I frowned. "I guess that makes sense, but I don't get what they key has to do with this."

"I'm moving to Centium City next month." My heard fluttered and almost stopped at those words. "I'm going to take a couple of classes at the community college, get officially certified as a chef, then get a real job at a real restaurant."

"You're moving to Centium." I breathed. He nodded. "You're moving to Centium?"

"So we can be together." He added, smiling cheekily. "I got an apartment in town, but unfortunately, not in the building. Obviously, I'm not expecting you to move out or anything – the team is here, and so is everything else – but I thought you should have your own key."

"My own key." I repeated. "Jaden, you're moving to Centium City!"

"I'm guessing you like that part." He teased. Instead of answering, I placed my hand on the back of his head, guiding his lips to mine.

 **Dani's POV**

"Here." I held the memory stick out to my mother. She looked at it, then took it.

"And this is?" She inquired, turning it over in her hands.

"The list of superheroes. Everything we know on them." I told her. She looked surprised. "Look, it's not a lot. With everyone so scattered, we pretty much just know their names. There's not much on their powers either, and with everyone moving so often, those locations are pretty outdated, but it's better than nothing."

"It is." Mom agreed. "Well done. I'm proud of you."

"Don't be." I told her. She looked at me, surprised. "I didn't do that for praise – I did that to save my cover. But if anyone questions my loyalty again, show them that."

Mom gave me a curious smile, and I realized that that would have been exactly what she would have done in my position; play the people I worked with like a game and turn the tables in my own favor. Maybe I was more like her than I thought.

"You want to see our new base." She remembered.

"I would." I insisted. She nodded.

"Very well. Not yet, but soon." She added the last part quickly. "Very soon."

"Good." I agreed, nodding to myself. The sooner I got into her inner sanctum, the better.

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you think? That was a big chapter, event-wise anyway. Lexi, Tank, and Mort? I'm pretty sure you guys know who else is going to be making an appearance this season. And Dani…oh, Dani, what am I making you do? Anyway, I know I promised you all a double update, but then I thought, it's going to take me another week to write that second update, so why not give you guys one now and the next one on time, rather than making you wait. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, here's the new update schedule:**

 **July 24th: Under Pressure**

 **August 1st: Glitch in the System**

 **August 7th: Mother May I? (mid-season finale)**

 **Alright guys, so next week's gonna have a pretty interesting guest star that'll add a very curious twist to things, so I hope you're all pumped for next week! See you all then!**


	23. Under Pressure

**Kihonne: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! This time, it's Under Pressure. Okay, so the deal is, I've been sitting on this chapter idea for a while now, and while I'm not entirely sure how pleased I am with it, I think it'll do well enough. Anyway, before we move onto the chapter, it's shout out time.**

 **Xxx**

 **Labgirl2001: No, it has not. And what are the odds? I honestly didn't even think about that when I was writing the chapters, but it's really good timing on my part. As for the sneak peek, I wanted to try and throw people off with that, since it was before I'd even revealed that Dani's mother was gonna come back, let alone that Dani would be working with her. You're right about one thing – Dani's hole is just going to keep getting deeper and deeper until she's not sure what to do anymore. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: You have my sincerest condolences. I am truly sorry for everything you and your family are going through. While I can't say I've ever gone through something like that, I do understand needing to take a break from reality, so I'm really glad I'm able to give you somewhere to disappear to in my story. I hope you enjoy it, and if you need to talk about anything, I'd be happy to listen.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Algernon23: Yeah, that happened. You have an interesting theory there, but sadly, I can't confirm or deny anything without spoiling something in the story, so you're just going to have to keep reading to find out. Have fun on your vacations by the way. I'm afraid I've never seen the northern lights – they're on my bucket list too. I'm not entirely sure how far north you'd have to go, but I figure you'd have to at least get to one of the Canadian territories (Nunavut, Yukon or the Northwest Territories) to see them. As for Whitaker's doctor, I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled that she got the part, not just because she's a woman, but also because she's an amazing actress. I'm really, really excited about this. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: You say that now. Trust me – Dani's going to get herself into a lot more trouble before too long. And only a couple of chapters left till the mid-season finale? It's crazy. I am really excited about it, though. There's, like, a handful of scenes that I've had in my head since before I started The Power of Seven, and one of those scenes are going to finish off Mother May I, so it should be very interesting. Thank you so much, by the way, for the very sweet compliment. Yes, we will be seeing a lot more of him once he moves in. He will officially be moving in during Mother May I, and after that you can consider him as part of the main cast rather than a recurring character. As for the characters from Love and War, you're going to be seeing a few of them in this story really soon. Obviously, I want to finish Love and War before I bring them into here, but I intend to finish that story before I start the second half of this season, so you'll be seeing at least one of them in CHAPTER NUMBER. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, it's time for the story!**

 **Kaz: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, her OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"Well, that's the last of all that broken glass." Skylar announced, sweeping the remaining shattered pieces into a dustpan. She glanced at the broken window, a frustrated look on her face. "You had to throw him through the window?"

"Yes, yes I did." Calla retorted, walking down the stairs, careful of where she stepped. In the past few days, she'd been in a relatively bad mood, locking herself in Mission Command. I knew it was because of what Mort had said to her – if I hadn't known that the mole he'd been referring to was me, I'd be pretty on edge too.

She sat down at the kitchen counter and grabbed the box of Fruit Loops. "Alright, so good news. MISS is back up and running."

"And she's actually going to protect the place now? Because she kinda sucks at that." Kaz commented. Calla stared him down. "No offense."

"I had Dooley send me over my original schematics for her from the island. I just updated it and put her in – she should be good as new." Calla assured everyone.

"Good. Because until we know who Tank, Lexi, and Mort are working for, we're on high alert." Chase added.

" _Speaking of high alert, you have an incoming video message from Donald Davenport."_ MISS spoke up then, proving Calla's point. _"Should I play it on the television?"_

"Please and thank you, MISS." Skylar replied. I stepped over to the stairs.

"Bree! Ollie!" I shouted at the two sleepy-heads. "Davenport's calling!"

"What's he want now?" Bree complained, speeding down the stairs, still in her pyjamas. Ollie followed behind her. We all sat down on the couch just as Mr. Davenport's face appeared on our TV screen. He had a serious look on his face, letting us know that this wasn't a social call.

" _Hey, are you guys alright? Jaden told me about the attack."_ He started with. I let out a sigh; figures, Bree's boyfriend's flight would have landed less than an hour ago, and Davenport already knew.

"We're fine. No one was seriously hurt." Bree assured him. He nodded.

" _Good. That's not why I called."_ He told us.

"Aw, so you really don't care?" Kaz teased, mockingly acting hurt. Mr. Davenport ignored him.

"I need some of you for a mission." He explained. We all exchanged looks. "A group of my best scientists have been sweeping the bottom of the Pacific, sweeping for carbonite minerals. However, we lost contact with them an hour and haven't been able to re-establish it."

"You want us to go check in on them?" Chase guessed. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"The submarine is already at the pier." He informed us. "Good luck."

The TV screen went black once more, Davenport signing off. "Uh, so we have a little problem." Chase began.

"Bigger than those scientists'?" Oliver questions.

"The sub is only big enough for four people. Three of us are gonna have to sit out." Bree told him.

"I will." I offered. I'd never been the biggest fan of the ocean, not since a near-drowning incident when I was four, and though I'd probably be fine in a submarine, I was hardly opposed to staying behind either. The others all stared at me. "What? The ocean sucks."

"I'll stay behind too." Calla added. "I've got some things I need to do after Mort, Lexi, and Tank's attack, and besides, Bree, Chase, you guys know how to operate the sub; you don't need me."

"She's right." Bree nodded.

"We'll come to." Kaz grinned, jerking his thumb at himself then at Ollie. He beamed. "Never been in a sub before. It sounds fun."

"Glad to see you're taking this seriously." Skylar commented, leaning back on the couch and reaching for a magazine.

"C'mon guys." Chase instructed. "Suit up."

He stood up and headed upstairs, Bree speeding past him and Kaz and Oliver following behind, joking around with each other. Calla stood up next and looked at me pointedly.

"Alright, c'mon." She jerked her head at the hidden entrance to Mission Command. "I want to show you something."

 **Kaz's POV**

"I love how your dad just has a submarine lying around." I grinned, looking around at all the colorful and flashing buttons. Chase and Bree were in the front seats, the former controlling the sub while the latter worked the lights and occasionally flipped a switch for her brother.

"Don't touch that." Chase said suddenly. I looked over at Oliver, who guiltily drew his hand away from a particularly bright flashing green button.

"Sorry." He apologized sheepishly.

"Coming up on the scientists' submarine." Bree announced a moment later. Grabbing onto her chair, I looked past her, out the viewing window to see a long, dark-colored sub jutting out of a rock wall.

"No wonder Davenport can't re-establish contact." Oliver hummed thoughtfully. "How are we going to get them out?"

"That is a good question." Chase agreed, twisting around in his seat. "Alright, I've got a plan. Calla gave me her Geoleap Watch. We'll use that, along with Bree's Geoleap Bracelet, to get on board. Then we get the scientists out and complete our mission. Got it?"

"Easy as pie." Oliver agreed.

"Ooh, pie." I hadn't had breakfast yet. I licked my lips at the thought, deciding to make a stop at the bakery before heading back home.

"C'mon." Bree rolled her eyes. Chase handed Oliver the Geoleap Watch.

"Split up, get out as quickly as possible. We don't know why it crashed, and it could capsize, so stay close together in case you need a quick escape."

"You're the boss." I agreed, as Oliver strapped on the Geoleap Watch. Bree offered Chase her arm. He took it, then she pressed a button on the charm of her bracelet and the two disappeared. Oliver and I exchanged looks, then I grabbed his shoulder. He pressed down on the screen of the watch, and suddenly, we were no longer standing in our submarine, but in a small room bathed in red lights as a blaring alarm sounded off around us.

 **Dani's POV**

"Dear God." I muttered, shaking my head. Calla could get a little obsessive when she gave herself a project, and this was a prime example of it. She'd taken one of the white boards out of storage and had set it up similarly to a crime board used by cops and detectives, with her 'suspect pool' featuring pictures of Perry, Douglas, and AJ. "You wanna tell me what this is about?"

"I've been thinking about this whole mole thing…" She explained. I froze, more than a little nervous, but then she continued. "And I don't think it's one of our team. At least, not the main team. We were all fighting Mort, Lexi, and Tank at the time that the list was stolen, except for Kaz and your brother, but they were still at Mighty Med, so they couldn't have gotten here in time. Besides, Mort tried to kill you, Oliver, Kaz, and Skylar, and Lexi and Tank, along with a friend of theirs, tried to convince the Academy to get rid of Bree and Chase. Why would any of us be working with them?"

"I don't know." I replied, though I knew it was a rhetorical question. She nodded.

"It wouldn't make sense. So, I started looking at other people who'd either have enough knowledge of the penthouse to know what would work on the generator, or who would have an access code to the cyberdesk." She continued, gesturing at the board. "Of the five auxiliary members of our team, Jaden and Mr. Davenport aren't even in the state, nor do they have motive to betray us."

"Leaving you with Douglas, AJ, and Perry?" I questioned. I wasn't sure how I felt about her suspecting the others when I knew it was me – on one hand, it drew suspicion away from me and kept myself safe from being found out, but on the other hand, I felt guilty that Calla was thinking that our friends, and Perry, might have betrayed us.

"Well, they all have knowledge of the penthouse, and AJ and Douglas have access codes to the cyberdesk. Perry doesn't, but honestly, she'd probably be able to figure it out or get it out of one of the boys. Not to mention, she's hardly the most trustworthy person, and Douglas has a history of being on the wrong side of things." She leaned against the cyberdesk, considering it.

"Or maybe there isn't a mole." I offered, still feeling guilty. "For all we know, they somehow managed to steal the codes, or they're better with computers than you think, and got the list that way."

"I doubt it. It's a possibility, but I can't figure out how they would have stolen that information." She shook her head. "So, you and I need to figure out which one of them is the mole."

"If one of them is." I added. She nodded. "Okay, is Douglas even in town?"

"Yeah, but he wanted to spend the weekend at some hotel with his girlfriend." She shrugged. "It could have been him."

"Or he could have been just having fun with his girlfriend." Logically, I should have been encouraging her to suspect the others, but it didn't feel right. I wasn't so sure if betraying the team in the first place was really my best decision, and I wanted to try and avoid screwing things up even worse in case I changed my mind about all of this.

"Well, we'll have to figure out if that's true or not. You in, or are you out?" She questioned, slightly exasperated. Clearly, I didn't have a real choice about this.

"I guess I'm in." I decided, albeit reluctantly. I guess I could use this opportunity to keep her from going too far, and to keep suspicion off of myself at the same time.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Whoa." I grinned, looking around the submarine. "Wicked."

"Focus boys." Bree reminded us, poking her head in from the doorway. "Now c'mon. Most of the crew will be in the control room. Chase is already on his way up there."

"Alright, we're coming." Why'd she have to take the fun out of everything? Submarines were cool!

Oliver and I followed Bree up a hall, then a set of stairs leading into a room full of heavy machinery and about a dozen people. Chase was in the middle, talking to a group of the scientists.

"About time." One of them, a skinny, dark haired guy complained. "Davenport was supposed to send help hours ago."

"Dr. Ryan." Bree smiled while Chase rolled his eyes. "Good to see you."

"As I was saying, we're here to help." Chase told them. "We're going to geoleap you guys out of here."

"What about the information? We've spent months collecting data." Dr. Ryan, the apparent head of the research team, insisted. "We can't just abandon all of it."

"Well, you're going to have to. We don't have time to download all of it." Chase insisted.

"Well, I'm not leaving without it." Dr. Ryan insisted, stalking out the door, heading deeper into the sub. Chase groaned in annoyance.

"That guy!" Apparently, they knew each other, and this wasn't the first time he'd done something to piss the bionic genius off. "I swear…can't we just leave him?"

"Hey!" Some of the other scientists began to protest.

"How about-" Oliver spoke loudly, cutting the crowd off. Sighing, he started again once they'd quieted down. "How about Kaz and I go wit him. You guys take care of getting these guys out of danger and we'll save his ass, alright?"

"Good idea, Oliver." Bree agreed, stopping Chase from replying. "We'll contact you once we've finished up."

"C'mon." Oliver nodded to me. We started down the hall Dr. Ryan had just gone through, all the while, examining the submarine. Most of Davenport's new tech was crazy cool, but in the sub, it was ridiculously high-end.

"Hey, how long will this download take?" I questioned once we found Dr. Ryan in a room full of computers and data readers.

"Twenty minutes." He shrugged, plugging a hard drive into the computer.

"Great." I sighed impatiently. Oliver looked at me.

"Got somewhere to be?" He questioned. I shrugged.

"This is boring." I complained, leaning against the wall. "Ooh, where are the torpedoes? Those'll be fun to check out."

"It's a scientific submarine. We don't have weapons on board." Dr. Ryan told me. I groaned – okay, so maybe this thing wasn't that cool.

"I'm bored." I repeated myself. I looked at the young scientist. "How much longer?"

He looked at me, exasperated. "19 minutes and 35 seconds."

I sighed again, wondering if maybe I should have offered to help Bree and Chase with rescuing the other scientists. That'd be more fun, at least.

Suddenly, the ground beneath us jerked downwards, the whole room tipping to an uncomfortable angle. "What was that?" Oliver demanded, his hands stretched out to balance himself.

"The submarine must not be secure in rock wall." Dr. Ryan realized. I looked at him.

"How bad is that?" I questioned. He gulped nervously and looked at the download screen.

"Let's just hope this downloads fast." He replied worriedly.

 **Dani's POV**

"This is a little excessive, isn't it?" I questioned, exasperated. Calla lowered her binoculars and gave me a look.

"No." She insisted, speaking to me as if I'd just said something really dumb. She raised the binoculars up to her eyes. I sighed and followed suit, watching Perry as she walked down the street. We were sitting on the veranda, trying to see if Perry was doing anything suspicious. Unsurprisingly, the former principal wasn't really up to anything (well, at least unsurprisingly to me. Calla had pretty much named Perry as her number one suspect). Aside from actually taking her cats on walks (seriously, this woman owned WAY too many cats), she wasn't doing anything that wasn't common for most people to be doing. To be honest, the most surprising thing about this whole thing was that Davenport just happened to have these super binoculars lying around in Mission Command.

"What are you guys doing?" I looked over my shoulder to see Skylar standing in the doorway. This must have looked pretty weird, the two of us leaning over the edge of the veranda with binoculars.

"Spying on Perry." I answered when Calla remained too focused on the task at hand. Skylar furrowed her brow, confused.

"Why?" She questioned. I shook my head helplessly, shrugging in response. "…Okay then. I'm heading to Mighty Med. I just got a message from Philip saying that Alan's there and wants to meet me."

"Alan?" I repeated, surprised. "Uh, see you later then."

"Yeah. Have fun…stalking Perry." She told us.

"Spying, not stalking." Calla corrected, not looking away from the binoculars. I sighed and dropped my binoculars.

"This is a waste of time. It's not like she's gonna go meet up with Mort and Lexi for coffee or something." I told her. I frowned, thinking. "Actually, I think Mort might be more of a tea guy. Not sure why, but I'm pretty sure he is."

"Well, if she's working with them, she'll slip up eventually." The girl genius reasoned. "After all, she's hardly the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Which is exactly why she can't be the mole." I insisted. "Look, if she was the mole, she would have given herself away. She would have been hanging around a lot, asking too many questions. We'd know it was her."

"You're right." Calla dropped her binoculars. "In order to keep this from all of us, they'd have to be incredibly smart."

"Well…" I wasn't dumb, but she was still giving me way too much credit.

"So it must be Douglas or AJ." She decided. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"Well, I'm going to go check with his parents to see if he was home Christmas Eve, because watching him with these binoculars would be creepy and might possibly get us arrested." I told her. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." She agreed, flushing in embarrassment as she fiddled with the binoculars. "I'll track down Douglas. We can interrogate him once you've confirmed AJ's alibi."

"Okay." I agreed as she started to walk away. Then what she said hit me. "Wait, interrogate him?"

 **Kaz's POV**

" _Everyone's out. How the download coming?"_ Bree questioned. I glanced at the screen, which told me that the download was just over halfway done.

"Slowly." I replied with a sigh.

" _Well, if it's not done in 2 minutes, you need to get out of there."_ Chase instructed.

"It's going to take at least another eight." Oliver protested.

" _That sub's not stable guys. If it crashes, we might not be able to come get you."_ He warned us.

"We'll be fine. You worry too much." I told him, rolling my eyes. But my confidence faltered a moment later when the sub shook again. "Uh, how much longer?"

"Not soon enough." Dr. Ryan grit his teeth together.

"Then let's just go." Oliver insisted.

"No way. Davenport's paying me big time for this." He refused. "I'm not going to let him down."

Suddenly, the sub let out a terrifying creak. "That didn't sound too good." I muttered, glancing at Oliver. We should just bail before things went badly.

"We'll be fi-" Dr. Ryan began, but cut himself off when the sub suddenly started to move. It began to fall, albeit slowly, through the water. We were all knocked off our feet, the sudden descent catching us all off guard. Eventually, the submarine stopped movie with a thud that shook the entire structure. "What the hell?"

"I think the sub came free of the rock wall." Oliver commented. "God, no."

Water began shooting in from cracks in the hull. It wasn't a lot of water, but it was enough to make my heart beat a bit faster. "That's not good." I observed, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"Neither is this." Oliver called my attention over to him. He held up his arm, showing me the now shattered screen of the Geoleap Watch.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Hey Philip." I smiled at the nurse as I entered Mighty Med 2.0. The large-headed nurse nodded at me in greeting before continuing to fill out paperwork, a frown on his face. Finding out that he'd survived the destruction of Mighty Med had been a real relief for the rest of us, especially when he accepted Oliver's offer to make him the Head Nurse of Mighty Med 2.0. "You seen Alan?"

"Rec Room." He replied, deep in concentration as he worked. I nodded and headed down the hall before entering the rec room. I liked the new one a lot – it was larger than the one at the original mighty med, with a few TV, more exercise equipment, and a lot more places to sit rather than just the one area. Music was constantly playing, coming from the old-fashioned jukebox Dani had dragged in here a few weeks after we opened. God knows where she found it, but it was surprisingly in good order and gave the place a bit more of personal touch.

In the center of the room, fiddling with one of the TV remotes, was a short guy with curly black hair and beady eyes. But when he turned around, I realized that Philip had made a mistake in assuming it was Alan.

"Hapax." I blinked in surprise at the superhero mentor. "I was expecting Alan."

"I'm afraid I'm not him. From what I understand, he's off with Geminus, on some sort of adventure." Hapax the Elder replied. "Though it has been many weeks since I've spoken to him."

"He's working hard at becoming a hero." I offered. He nodded thoughtfully.

"He's a lot like his father." He commented. I gave him a sad smile.

"I was sorry to hear that Nelson didn't make it." It wasn't fair, really. Alan spent so long looking for his father, only to get him snatched away from him only a month after he found him. Hapax nodded sadly.

"That's not what I'm here to discuss." He told me, clearing his voice roughly. He gestured towards one of the couches, motioning for me to sit. I did so, looking at him in confusion. "As you know, after Mighty Med fell, I returned to my home on Caldera, which, as you also know, has been torn apart by war."

"Has the Resistance gotten stronger?" I'd sworn I wasn't going to get any more involved with the situation, but it was still my home, and the thought of the war growing any worse than it already was broke my heart.

"No, not exactly. The situation has changed quite a bit since your last visit." He told me, his tone grave. He looked me in the eye. "Skylar, we need you to come home."

 **Kaz's POV**

"No, no, no! The drive is broken!" Dr. Ryan protested, staring at the screen in despair.

"Yeah, like that's our biggest problem." I looked at him, shaking my head. "Dude, we need to get out of here, like, now."

Oliver nodded and activated his comms. "Uh, Bree, Chase? Kaz and I ran into a problem."

Surprisingly, all we got in response was static. Frowning, I tried. "Bree, Chase, come in."

Again, static. "That's even worse." I muttered. I looked at Oliver, starting to panic a little. "So, we can't get out of here, or call for help and now the submarine is filling up with water. You know, I'm starting to see Dee's point about the ocean being a place for 'people with a death wish'."

"Well, we need to figure out a plan." Oliver decided. The submarine creaked again and he gulped. "Preferably before this this crushes us. We have to be beyond the safe limit by now."

"Well, Bree and her brother will realize we're in trouble soon, right?" Dr. Ryan questioned. "Can't we wait for them to come get us?"

"A, I'm not sure if we can afford to wait, and B, if we're too far down to keep a stable communication line running, we're too far down for them to get a good read on our coordinates, and without the proper coordinates, Bree could end up Geoleaping into the middle of ocean. She won't risk that."

"Then what do we do?" I demanded. Oliver frowned, unsure. Then his face cleared. He turned to Dr. Ryan.

"Have you ever worked with geoleap tech?" He questioned hopefully.

"No, not really." Dr. Ryan admitted, to our despair. "But Calla Parker…Calla Davenport, sorry, sent me some specs on a prototype a while ago. I assume she was the one who built your watch?"

"Yeah, she's a member of our team." I informed him. He nodded and reached out for it.

"Hand it over. I know her engineering style and the basic components. If it's not broken too badly, I might be able to repair it." He offered. Oliver nodded and quickly removed the watch, handing it to him.

"Now all we have to do is try and keep the water from coming in." I looked at the several leaks, cringing when another one sprung from just above the busted computer. "Easy as pie, right?"

 **Dani's POV**

"So, I just spoke to AJ's stepdad, and he said that AJ was with them over the weekend. And since they went to Switzerland to spend the holidays, I seriously doubt that he's our mole." I declared, re-entering the penthouse. Calla was sitting on the couch, looking almost disappointed.

"It wasn't Douglas. Turns out I was wrong about him staying in the city – he took his girlfriend, Dana, down to Mission Creek. Davenport told when he called to check on the mission status." She informed me, waving her phone at me before placing it down on the coffee table. She shook her head, a frustrated look on her face. "I don't get it. Who else could it have been?"

"I don't know." I lied, taking a seat next to her. "Maybe it was no one."

"I know you want to believe that, but…I don't know. Something's not right." She sighed. I gave her a look.

"What's that saying? Once you've eliminated all other possibilities, whatever is left must be factual, no matter how ridiculous it sounds? Yeah, I think that's it." I nodded to myself. Calla grimaced, shrugging.

"You got the gist of it." She allowed. I nodded.

"So, you already eliminated the main team from the suspect pool, and we know it wasn't Davenport, Douglas, Jaden, AJ, or Perry, so that just means that there isn't a mole, right? It's the only option left." I reasoned. She nodded. "Hey, that's a good thing."

"Yeah, I guess it is. I guess Mort just shook me up, is all." She agreed. She smiled at me. "It's a relief, I'll give you that. Can you imagine? One of us a mole?"

"Yeah…crazy…" I agreed half-heartedly as she got up. She headed into the kitchen, still talking about how ridiculous it was that she believed Mort, all the while my guilt increasing. Things were going to get pretty damn serious on the Mom front soon, and I knew I would be expected to make a choice. But I had everything I wanted here – my brother, Kaz, friends who trusted me. Was I really about to risk all of that? Could I take that chance that I'd lose all of this?

 **Kaz's POV**

"This isn't working!" Oliver shouted, glancing briefly over his shoulder before freezing another leak in its tracks. This sub was trying to collapse in on itself, and it was all Oliver and I could do to keep it from killing us. Oliver had cut us off from the rest of the sub using a massive, thick wall of ice, hoping that if we enclosed ourselves in a small area, we might last a bit longer, while I used my powers to weld the metal together whenever the pressure tried to cause another leak.

It was working well enough for the time being, but the air was beginning to taste stale, and sooner or later, this submarine would crush us.

"Hey, does anyone see a screw driver? I need a really tiny Philips head." Dr. Ryan called as he inspected the Geoleap watch.

"No!" I snapped back. He sighed and began rummaging through the drawers in the overturned filing cabinets, desperately hoping for the tools he needed.

"Crap!" Oliver shouted suddenly as part of the ice wall broke away, allowing at least a few liters of water to flood in before he could refreeze it. The submarine groaned again, closing up a bit, threatening to collapse. "We need to get out of here, now!"

"Give me a minute!" Dr. Ryan snapped back.

"We don't have a minute!" I retorted. I looked at Oliver, praying he had a backup plan. "You know, being a hero seemed like a good idea when we were younger, but honestly, I could do without almost dying."

"Well, you might have to remove the 'almost' in that sentence soon." He replied, refreezing the ice wall to prevent it from collapsing again. The submarine creaked again, screws bursting loose at spots. "We're going to die in here."

"No we're not." Suddenly, Dr. Ryan grabbed hold of our shoulders, and then, we found ourselves standing in the center of our submarine. Our beautiful, not-about-to-kill-us submarine.

"Oh thank God." Oliver cried, falling to his knees. The other scientists, along with Bree and Chase, just gaped at us, shocked.

"We were just trying to locate your GPS signal. What happened?" Chase demanded, running over to us. Oliver and I exchanged looks.

"Dani's right; the ocean sucks." Oliver decided.

 **Dani's POV**

"So, how was the mission?" Calla inquired as Chase, Bree, Kaz, and Ollie all walked into the penthouse. "And why are you two soaked?"

"Long story." "I hate submarines." Ollie and Kaz answered. Ollie went upstairs, presumably to change, while Kaz walked into the kitchen.

"So, how was your day?" He questioned, wrapping his arms around my waist and hugging me from behind.

"Good. We stalked Perry for a few hours." I replied. He smiled in confusion. "Long story. But I promise, I will never get as many cats as her."

"Liar. Every time you see a stray, Oliver or I have to stop you from adopting it on the spot." He accused. I laughed lightly, leaning my head back on his shoulder until he pulled away to grab something to eat.

"Oh, Dr. Ryan said to call him. Something about Project Tardis?" Bree looked at Calla in exasperation. "Why?"

"I need a nickname for my time travel project and it seemed appropriate." She explained with a shrug. "I asked Ryan to help me with some of the mechanics. Wait, he was on the sub?"

She and Bree headed upstairs to chat, while Chase went to change out of his uniform. I turned around to face Kaz, smiling.

"So, wanna tell me why you hate submarines all of a sudden?" I asked curiously. He shrugged, closing the fridge without grabbing anything.

"How about I tell you over dinner? Veggie burgers at Paco's?" He suggested. I smiled.

"Sure." I agreed, taking his hand and following him out the door.

Dinner was great, as always. Kaz ordered us some food while he told me of how he and my brother nearly drowned, grinning despite the near-death experience. I told him about my day, smiling every time he laughed at Calla's ridiculously determined attempts to figure out if we could really trust Perry, AJ, and Douglas. And as he went to pay, I made a decision.

Things were going to go badly really soon, and I was going to have to choose to either end my relationship with my mother or quit the team. And though that huge decision was sitting upon my shoulders, I wasn't going to let it ruin my present. So, even though this might end all too soon, I was going to enjoy what I had while I still had it.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Not gonna lie, not sure how much I liked that ending in the sub, but I think it was alright. But let me know what you guys think! Seriously, leave a review! Anyway, here's the update schedule for the next couple of chapters:**

 **August 1** **st** **: Glitch in the System**

 **August 7** **th** **: Mother May I (mid-season finale)**

 **Oh, and before I forget, the Love and War chapter will be up sometime within the next 14 hours (before I leave on vacation). It would be up already, but I want to change some things, so I'm going to do that after I get some shut eye.**


	24. Glitch in the System

**Kihonne: Hey guys! So, due to a small medical emergency (don't worry, everyone is okay now), my family ended up staying out of town a day later than originally planned, hence why the chapter is a day later than expected. But it's here now and I think you're going to enjoy it, especially with this week's special guest…guest-ish. You'll get what I mean when you get to that part. Anyway, before we can move onto the chapter, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **SzymonS: Why thank you very much. That's very sweet of you. I'm so glad you liked the chapter, especially the mission idea and the Perry-stalking. Dani is in a very precarious situation, you're right about that. She's backed herself into a hole, and even if you are right about your theory (which I refuse to confirm or deny because that would just take the fun out of it for me), she's still going to be in a bad spot. As for Caldera and Skylar and Oliver, you're going to have all your questions (or at least most of them) answered in either this chapter or the next, so hold tight. And thank you for your vote, by the way, but I should say that I'm only counting votes done through the poll. It's just easier to keep track of all of them that way, so if you haven't voted there yet, I suggest you do so. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked it! As for Calla, the main thing for her is that none of the potential moles have a real motive. Without knowing that Bridget is involved, there'd really be no reason to suspect Dani at all. But don't worry – she'll address the fact that maybe they covered their tracks in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Calligraphies: Hey, don't worry about it. I always encourage re-reading my stuff (TBH, I think the Lab Assistant is my favorite of all my stories), and I'm never going to get mad at someone for not reviewing or not reading an update as soon as it's up. Anyway, thanks for the honesty about the ending, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **Layla: I'm glad you enjoyed it! So, in short, to answer your questions, all I can say is keep reading. Most of them, if not all of them, will be answered in either this chapter or the next. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Calla just trusts her team, that's all. As for the first person who'll figure out Dani's little secret, the answer to that will be very soon. As for Skylar, a few more details will be revealed this chapter, and we'll get more into in the next couple of chapters as well. As for your comments about Jaden, you have a good memory – you're the only one to bring that up. I can't answer that right now, but I stand by the comment I made about the number of members on the Elite Force team. As for Jaden and Bree's wedding, I will consider it, and if it works with whatever theme I decide for the one-shot story, I will try to include it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, it's time for the chapter!**

 **Oliver: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this chapter, all the OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Chase's POV**

"Alright, so Douglas wants me to run an update on your guys' chips." Calla said as she typed on the cyberdesk, not looking up as she did. "AJ, you mind grabbing Bree for me?"

"Only if I can help with the update." The younger boy countered. Up until the moment Calla got that text, he'd been helping us build her time machine. Though she still had no way to fuel the device, she wanted to have it ready for when she figured out the key to the fuel. So far, it was hardly anything impressive – a torn seat of a car she'd pulled out of the dump and a few other gadgets to try to prepare it for travel at light speeds – but Calla always had a way of turning the seemingly ordinary into something incredible.

"Fine." Calla waved her hand, eyes focused on the holo-screen in front of her.

"Hey." I sauntered over to her, leaning against the cyberdesk. She glanced at me through the translucent screen before returning her focus to the lines of data.

"Hey." She replied distractedly, biting her lip in concentration.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." I mentioned, hoping to get her full attention. She hummed in response, still busy coping down the lines of code. "So, you want to tell me why there's a whiteboard in the storage closet with pictures of Perry, AJ, and Douglas on it? Because it sorta looks like you're stalking them, and that would be really weird considering one of them is my birth father."

That got her attention. She looked up with a sheepish, guilty smile. "Sorry. You weren't supposed to see those."

"Wait, so you ARE stalking them?" I questioned incredulously.

"No! Well…Perry, briefly, but it's…" She shook her head. "Look, I should tell you-"

"Alright, let's get this over with." Bree grumbled, walking into mission command. "Jaden's flight gets in in a couple of hours and I told him I'd help him unpack his stuff."

Right, today Jaden officially moved to Centium City. "You were saying?" I asked, looking back at Calla. She hesitated, glancing at the others.

"Later?" She requested. I frowned, nodding. "Alright, good. Bree, Chase, over here. I need to remove your chips."

"You're not going to update them while they're in their capsules?" AJ questioned, surprised. Calla shook her head, motioning for Bree to sit down in front of her.

"This is quicker, and that way if some sort of virus is downloaded," she paused, using the chip extractor to remove Bree's chip. Bree winced as the chip was extracted, her hand slipping to the back of her neck as Calla pulled the extractor away, "we can deal with it before it affects their bionics. Bree, just chill upstairs for an hour or two. Your chip will be done by time Jay gets here."

"Cool. I'm going to see if Dani wants to watch Teen Fiancé with me." She skipped off, obviously in a good mood what with Jaden coming.

"She does know that the only person who'll watch that with her is your brother, right?" I joked, smiling at my wife. Calla laughed lightly as I took a seat in front of her.

"Apparently not." She agreed, pressing the extractor into the back of my neck. The chip was swiftly pulled out of my neck with a sharp pain, all of it over in a second. She pulled the device back and placed it on the cyberdesk, my chip between her fingers. "Alright, AJ, come here."

She stood up and patted the chair she had been sitting in. He took her place and watched as she placed the two chips into their special cases. She glanced at him briefly before connecting the cases to the cyberdesk with the proper wires. "Alright, this is pretty simple. All you have to do is wait until the green light goes off, then press this button." She pointed at the yellow button next to the green light. "And whatever you do, do not take down the firewall. Understood?"

"Why would I take down the firewall? That could let a virus in." AJ frowned. Calla sighed.

"You'd think people would know that." She muttered to herself before addressing him. "Look, it's happened before, so I just have to give you the warning. Just let it download without touching anything, and we can avoid another Teddy incident."

"Who's Teddy?" AJ inquired. I patted his shoulder.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." I told him before grabbing Calla's hand and leading her to the hyperlift. "So, why were you stalking Perry?"

 **Xxx**

"You've got to be kidding me." I sighed, rubbing my hands over my eyes. A mole. Great, just what we needed. "And you thought it was Douglas, Perry, or AJ?"

"I…I don't know." Calla admitted, sitting down on the bed next to me. "Maybe Mort was lying. I did a bit more surveillance – the only motive Perry would have to betray us would be money, but there's no unusual activity on her bank accounts, AJ adores us and really, no villain would go to a ten-year-old to spy on us, and the only connection Douglas has with Lexi and Tank is Krane and he's too afraid of him to work with those two. None of them have reason to turn on us."

"What about the others?" I pressed. "Kaz, Dani, Skylar, and Oliver?"

"Mort's tried to kill them a few times, if memory serves right, Dani and Oliver in particular. None of them have a connection with Lexi or Tank except us, and none of them have the motive. And honestly, they're our team. I trust them enough to give them the benefit of the doubt that they're not evil backstabbers, just in the same way you trust Bree to not even bring her name up in this conversation." Calla pointed out. "They wouldn't betray us."

"Huh." I chuckled softly. She looked at me quizzically. "You always used to be the suspicious one. I mean, you and Leo distrusted Marcus from the start, and look how that turned out. How come you're not like that now?"

"Well you see, Chase, I have this other superpower. It's called intuition." She told me, a small smirk on her face, despite the fact that she was completely serious. "Marcus gave me some bad vibes, and I have to admit, I always thought Sebastian was a little sketchy, the way he was trying too hard to flirt with Bree and all. I've always trusted my gut on these things, and my gut is telling me that we can trust our team."

"I hope you're right." I sighed. Calla truly wanted to believe that they were all trustworthy, but honestly, we've been stabbed in the back by too many people we've trusted. "Who else knows?"

"You, me, and Dani." Calla admitted. "I think it's best to keep it to ourselves rather than freak the others out."

"That's smart." I stood up. "Look, as much as I want to believe you're right, you know I'm going to have to double-check everyone's alibis, right?"

"I figured you would." She agreed. She stood up and kissed me on the cheek. "And I think it's good that you are. I still don't believe that there is a mole, but maybe I'm wrong. They could have covered their tracks better than I thought, and it's better to be safe than sorry, especially in this case."

"I'm glad you agree." I nodded thoughtfully. "So, what exactly did Mort say? I want to know every detail."

 **Xxx**

An hour later, after I'd made myself a list of things to check out about my teammates (there wasn't much that Calla herself hadn't looked into, but there were a few more that I wanted to give more attention), I found myself back down in mission command, alongside Calla and my sister.

"AJ, are those updates done yet?" Calla questioned. AJ nodded eagerly, pulling the chips out of their cases swiftly. He presented them to Calla, grinning.

"So, can I help you work on the time travel formula now?" He asked, bouncing up and down in his seat. He'd be working to impress her for weeks, in hopes that she'd let him onto that project of hers.

"Yeah, not a chance, kiddo." She denied. "But thanks for this."

She turned to us. "Alright, who's first?"

"Me!" Bree sped past me, taking a seat before anyone could even move. "Jaden's flight got in early."

"Geez. He's not going anywhere, you know." Calla shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that's the whole point of him moving here."

She shook her head and grabbed the chip extractor. Slipping the chip into the correct position and flipping the switch, she pressed the device against Bree's neck. The lights on the side of it lit up one by one, just as Bree winced. My sister pulled away with a grimace the moment the process was over, then got to her feet.

"Bree, if you could wait a moment, I'd like-" But Bree was gone before Calla could even finish her sentence, bolting from mission command in a blur, "-to test the new upgrade."

"Why does it need testing?" AJ questioned, frowning.

"Because it's better to be safe than story. Since the update was sent over multiple servers, it's more prone to viruses and complications." Calla sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Alright, it's fine. Just test mine out." I reasoned. "If one of them is fine, the other is too. We can make sure mine is virus free before dragging her back needlessly."

"Fine, sure." Calla sighed, although obviously a little peeved with Bree. Chuckling, I sat down in front of her and let her use the device to return my chip to its proper place in the back of my neck. I winced at it was shot into the back of my neck, reaching up to rub the spot. "Alright, so according to Douglas, your update was supposed to upgrade your app center, while Bree's was supposed to upgrade her speed."

"Why don't we go upstairs then? We can test my magnetism app out on the veranda where it won't affect the equipment down here." I suggested.

"Sure, sounds good." Calla shrugged, getting up and following me to the hyperlift, AJ trailing right behind us. We headed up to the main floor, passing Kaz and Dani as we headed to the veranda. I doubted they even noticed us – the two of them were too caught up in some new superhero movie to pay us any attention.

"Alright, this should be good." I decided, stopping in the middle of the veranda. Calla nodded and glanced at AJ.

"Alright, Chase, you use your magnetism app to…bring my telescope towards you." She pointed at the telescope that was sitting at the far end of the veranda. "AJ, use your phone to time him and we'll compare your time to the ones we got before the upgrade."

"Got it." I agreed, raising my hand. Attempting to tap into my magnetism app, I focused on the telescope, but to my surprise, nothing happened. Frowning, I focused even harder on the telescope, but for some reason, it was like my magnetism app was just out of reach.

"Any time, Chase." AJ urged. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I dropped my hand.

"Something's not right. I can't access it." I mentioned. "Hold on a sec, I'm going to try some of my other apps."

My telekinesis app? Practically non-existent. My override app? Couldn't get past the interface. Hell, I couldn't even get my fingerprint recognition app up and running. "Try your onboard hard drive." Calla suggested. "Maybe there's something there blocking them."

"Maybe." I agreed absently, accessing the computer inside my head, only to discover something very odd. There wasn't something blocking my access to the apps, but rather, the apps themselves seemed to be all jumbled, lines of code and data from one flowing into the other. It didn't appear to be a virus – though, admittedly, it could have been a trojan – but rather like something went wrong in the upgrade itself. Frowning deeply, I tried to manually sort out the lines of code, but somehow, that seemed to mix them up even more, sending them spinning back into each other.

Before I could try another method of fixing the apps, they all began to activate, spinning across my field of vision for a long moment before a few words appeared in my mind: _Error! Cognitive Shutdown Imminent! Commando App Activated!_

I had enough time to briefly wonder why a shutdown would activate my Commando App before everything went dark.

 **Oliver's POV**

"So, you're leaving?" I asked, despaired. I started to pace around Skylar's bedroom. "Just like that?"

"Things have changed on Caldera. The rebellion has calmed down and they're willing to negotiate a peace treaty, but they need a neutral representative to mediate the negotiations." Skylar explained.

"No, that I get. I just don't understand why it has to be you." I stressed, stopping to look at her. "They could choose any representative. Hell, why can't Hapax do it?"

"Hapax is a mutant from Earth, not a native Calderan. As for why it has to be me, I'm supposed to be a symbol of peace and justice to my people." Skylar shrugged. "I think they just want a local celebrity to mediate."

"And you said yes." It wasn't a question.

"No." To my surprise, Skylar shook her head. "I told Hapax I needed to think about it."

"What are you going to do?" I questioned.

"I don't know." She admitted, her tone solemn. "I mean, going back and making sure that what happens in best for Caldera…that's the right thing to do."

"The team still needs you." I insisted. "And what about us? We're just starting out and you want to bail?"

"No!" She snapped, standing up. "I don't want to leave, Oliver, but what other choice do I have?"

"You can choose to stay." I pointed out. She gave me a bittersweet smile. "Do what you want, Skylar."

"We're heroes, Oliver. It's not about what I want, or about what you want. It's about doing what's right." She reasoned. She sighed. "I think I should go."

"I-" Before I could say anything else, a loud crash came from the main floor. Startled, Skylar and I both jumped to our feet. We quickly raced down the stairs, two at a time, only to come across a bewildering sight; Chase, standing barely an inch away from Kaz, breathing down his neck menacingly, while my best friend stared at him, his expression a mix of confusion and fear. Meanwhile, AJ was staring at the scene with wide, terrified eyes, Dani was sitting on the ground behind an overturned couch, confused, and Calla was watching the whole thing, with a sheepish, concerned frown on her face.

"You want to say that to me again, punk?" Chase demanded, his voice oddly several octaves lower than normal.

"Yeah, what's wrong with you?" Kaz questioned, backing up several feet, shocked and confused. "I mean, you have your weird moments, but this is just plain freaky."

"You call me freaky one more time and I'll rip out your liver and use it as a hockey puck!" Chase roared. Kaz gulped nervously, backing up again.

"Is it a shapeshifter?" Skylar demanded, looking for any explanation.

"Uh, no," Calla shook her head. She didn't look as scared as the others, though she did look a little nervous. "Spike's just…he has a thing about wanting to rip out people's organs?"

"Uh, why?" "Spike?" "But why does he want to rip out mine?" Skylar, AJ, and Kaz all demanded.

"Uh, well, Spike is Chase's evil alter ego that results from a strange and debatably unnecessary app Davenport installed. As for the why…" Calla frowned, then stepped forward, closer to 'Spike'. "Uh, why do you want to rip out Kaz's liver?"

"Kaz? That's a stupid name." Spike snorted, annoyed. Calla frowned deeper for a brief moment, then put a fake smile on her face.

"Spiky," She smiled flirtatiously at him, "aside from me, do you know anyone here?"

"Why would Spike care about these losers?" Chase scoffed.

"Losers?" Kaz repeated, offended. Spike turned and growled at Kaz. "You know what, losers is fine. I like it, actually."

"Spike's hungry." Spike declared, raising his head. He turned and looked at Calla. "Wanna bring me some food, kitten?"

Calla raised an eyebrow. "The fridge is right there. Get it yourself." She retorted. Surprisingly, instead of threatening to rip out her spleen or something, Spike seemed to like it when Calla spoke back to him.

"Spike likes it when kitten gets feisty." He smirked before heading into the kitchen. We all winced as he ripped the door off the fridge, discarding it before literally tearing through the fridge.

"Okay, why doesn't he remember us?" Dani questioned. Kaz grinned.

"And why does he keep calling you 'kitten'?" He added.

"Spike doesn't always remember everything Chase does. I remember a few years ago, Chase and I had broken up and when Spike came out, he had no idea, so it's possible that Spike's not caught up on everything that's going on." Calla considered it. "As for the kitten thing, it's just a weird nickname. Do NOT call me that."

"Well, how do we get Spike to go away?" I asked the obvious question. Calla bit her lip, looking past us to watch as Spike tossed the dish of grapes over his shoulder, having evidently decided that he wasn't in the mood for grapes.

"Uh, usually, we'd wait for whatever set him off to go away, or for him to calm down, but it doesn't make sense why he turned in the first place." She replied. "Commando Apps are activated by adrenaline spikes, like fear or embarrassment, but this…this was random."

"Weren't you doing updates earlier? Could that have screwed with his system?" Dani inquired, ducking as a block of cheese went flying over her head. "Watch it!"

"You watch it, sister!" Spike snapped. Dani shrank back, looking like she was trying to make herself small.

"Maybe…" Calla suddenly spun around and turned on AJ. "AJ, what did you do?"

"Nothing!" He defended himself. She gave him a look. "I took the chips out after the green light went off, exactly like you said."

"Did you press the yellow button first?" She pressed. He hesitated, giving her her answer. "Damn it, AJ! I told you specifically…c'mon!"

"Calla?" I questioned. She sighed irritably.

"Have you ever pulled a memory stick out before manually ejecting it from the computer? You risk corrupting all the data on it, which is evidently what AJ did to Chase's chip. Probably Bree's too." She muttered.

"Well, how do we fix this?" Skylar questioned before Calla could start lecturing AJ.

"I…I could reformat the chip, but I need the Commando App to shut down first." She decided, shaking her head helplessly.

"And how do we do that?" Kaz questioned. "You know, before he destroys the kitchen?"

Looking over our shoulders, we saw that Spike had moved onto the cupboards, tearing off the doors as he searched for something decent to eat.

"What if we overload his chip? Like how a computer restarts after it gets overwhelmed?" I suggested. Calla nodded.

"Maybe. If we can get him to use more than one bionic ability…that could work." The girl genius nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright. I've got a plan." Skylar nodded. "Kaz, Dani, you guys go left. Oliver and I will go right. Calla, since you're the only one who Spike doesn't want to rip apart, you distract him."

"Yeah, kitten." Kaz teased. That got Spike's attention.

"Hey, she's Daddy's kitten, not yours!" He roared, turning his attention on Kaz. He stalked away from the cupboards towards Kaz. "She is not yours."

"He knows that." Calla stepped forward, smiling brightly, but Spike was not interested. He swept her back with one arm, not gently but surprisingly not roughly either, and approached Kaz.

"Stay out of this, toots." He told her. Calla stopped, affronted. He ignored her, glaring back at Kaz. "Pretty boy here needs to learn to stay away from what's not his."

Without another word, Spike lunged forward, grabbing Kaz by the collar of his shirt and shoving him against the nearest wall hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs. "Kaz!" Dani reacted instantly, raising her hand and shooting a bolt of electricity into Spike's chest. Spike was thrown to the ground, but apparently, Spike had more endurance than Chase, because a moment later he was back on his feet, glaring furiously at Dani and Kaz.

"You're dead." He snarled, charging at them. Every one of us leapt out of the way, though Spike managed to catch a hold of Dani's arm first. He yanked on it hard, causing her to cry out in pain as he forcefully tugged her towards him. "No one attacks Spike and gets away with it!"

"Hey!" Dani shouted, trying to pull away. When she couldn't, both Kaz and I blasted him with our individual abilities. Neither of us were trying to injure Spike – he was still Chase, after all – but we wanted to hurt him enough to either overwhelm his system or at the very least, release my sister.

Spike raised his arms to defend himself, giving Dani the distraction she needed to pull away. Spike stumbled back a few steps, Chase's force field glimmering as it disappeared.

"I thought Chase couldn't use multiple abilities at once." Skylar called. Calla shook her head.

"He can, but I didn't think Spike knew how to access them. It's super dangerous, the last time…" She stopped, her face setting as something clicked in her mind. "The last time, he passed out. Make him do it again! Hit him from all sides!"

Dani was the first to comply, sending electrical shocks Spike's way. I followed suit, shooting a blast of icy air towards him, while Kaz and Skylar used their fire and energy blasts to take him. Spike used his forcefield to block Kaz and Skylar's blasts and turned his attention of Dani and I.

"Hey, Spiky!" Calla called, distracting him as we increased our attacks. Spike shouted in frustration, then suddenly dropped to his knees. We all stopped our attacks, thinking we maybe hurt him too badly, but then he leapt back to his feet, snarling.

"How dare you-" Before he could even finish his sentence, he dropped to the ground again. The only difference was this time, the lights in the Penthouse went out at the same time he hit the ground. AJ was standing behind him, holding a device from mission command.

"EMP." He explained with a shrug. "Thought it would be easier than wearing him out."

"Maybe not a bad idea." I agreed, looking down at Chase's body. "He's alright, right?"

"Oh yeah." Calla nodded, bending down. She checked his pulse, nodded to herself, then ran her hand through his hair. "Almost two years since I last saw Spike. Have to admit, kinda missed him."

"You did?" Kaz questioned, incredulous.

"Kinda." Calla shrugged. Suddenly, there was a loud thudding at the door, almost like someone knocking, but perhaps with their foot. Exchanging looks, Skylar walked over to the door and pulled it open. Jaden walked in, carrying Bree over his shoulder. Bree's legs were a blur of movement, kicking and swinging so fast that we couldn't get a good view of them.

"We got a problem." Bree announced, sounding very annoyed. Jaden frowned, looking around.

"Apparently, we aren't the only ones." He commented, a little confused.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright folks, I figured since the TV show hadn't shown him since Lab Rats, we all deserved a good dosage of Spike. Am I right? Let me know what you thought about the chapter. Anyway, since I need to make sure the next chapter goes as well as expected, I'm going to be putting some extra time into it. Not to mention, my summer class is nearly done and I've got my final exam coming up in a couple of weeks, so here is the new update schedule for this story:**

 **August 14** **th** **: Mother May I**

 **August 28** **th** **: Reunion**

 **September 4** **th** **: Broken Hearts**

 **I know, not the greatest schedule, but I'm sure you guys understand. Anyway, I'll see you all in a couple of weeks!**


	25. Mother May I

**Kihonne: Alright guys, it's time for the midseason finale, Mother May I? It's going to be an exciting chapter, but first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you like this chapter too!**

 **LabGirl2001: I missed Spike too. I hated that he wasn't in the Elite Force season. Anyway, thanks for understanding and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you enjoyed the Spike chapter. As for the mid-season finale, not all midseason finales actually land on the middle episode. Most of them are just around the middle and are chosen to be the midseason finale because the events in the episode affect the rest of the season. Look at Lab Rats; the last three mid-season finales introduced Douglas, Krane, and then Giselle, but none of them were directly the middle episode. As this is a big chapter, event-wise, and it's around the middle of the season, that's why I chose it as the midseason finale. Anyway, I'm glad you're excited for it, and I hope you enjoy it.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you enjoyed it. It sucked that they didn't have Spike in Elite Force – he was such a key element to the series. Thank you and everything is okay now – my brother broke his arm, which sucks, but it could be worse. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. Yes, Jaden's here and he's here to stay. I have to admit, I missed writing him and Bree. As for Dani, you'll find out the answer to that question this chapter. Skylar…well, that's going to be dealt with next chapter, for reasons that may be obvious once you've finished reading the chapter. I have to say, the time travel chapter is the one I'm most excited about. Partially because of the characters I get work with and partially because of the surprise I've got for everyone ;) Oh, and yes, everything is better now. Well, my brother broke his arm and that doesn't heal in a couple of weeks, but aside from that, everything is good. Anyway, I hope you find the chapter interesting at the very least.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, not the moment we've all been waiting for…**

 **Dani: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, myself and anyone other OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

"Man, I really hate Mort and his new pals." I complained, dropping my mission bag onto the ground by the couch. Bree nodded in agreement.

"Me too. I mean this just crossed the line." She agreed, arms crossed.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Jaden questioned, walking out the from the kitchen. We all looked at him, briefly confused why he was here instead of his own apartment. "Oh, Bree texted me about the early mission. I figured you'd want breakfast." He gestured at the kitchen counter, where seven steaming plates of pancakes, bacon and eggs awaited us.

"Best brother ever." Calla grinned, pecking him on the cheek before grabbing a plate. Jaden chuckled, amused. "And yeah, I guess it went well."

"I guess?" Jaden furrowed his brow, confused.

"Benjamin and Jennifer VanOver." Oliver explained, grabbing a couple of plates and handing one to Skylar. "AKA, Baby Tecton and his mother. We included Benjamin on the list after he started showing signs of his father's powers. Lexi must have gotten their location off of it before attacking them."

"Baby Tecton? How old is this kid?" Jaden demanded, alarmed. Skylar sighed, sitting down at the table next to Oliver.

"Two and a half, almost three." She sighed. "I mean, they're okay. Lexi bolted when she saw us, without hurting them, and we managed to get them moved to a safer location, but still. Who attacks a kid that young?"

"Well, actually, the list didn't have ages or anything on it. Just information on their home locations, and speaking of which, I thought that Jennifer left after Tecton died." Dani commented, confused as she sat down. "I thought that they were moving to Los Angeles, not staying in Cincinnati."

"They moved back after Jennifer's mom passed away." I explained. "Sorry, I thought I told you."

"Well, you didn't." She snapped, annoyed. I looked at her, surprised. Why did it matter now? They were gone, moved elsewhere for their own protection. "Sorry, I'm just…frustrated."

"We all are." Chase agreed, sitting down on the couch next to Calla. He wrung his hands together. "Lexi, Mort, and Tank and whoever they're working for are getting out on control. I mean, we've connected Lexi to the attack on Mr. Davenport's submarine, several of the attacks at landmarks around the city, and obviously, the attack here."

"They're not working on their own." Oliver commented. "Mort's a henchman…actually, last I checked, he was a lackey, not even a henchman. He's not smart enough to do this on his own."

"Neither are Lexi or Tank. Tank doesn't even speak and while Lexi can be manipulative, she wouldn't be the kind to put all this together." Bree agreed. She looked at Calla, Jaden, and Chase. "And even if you know who is helping them, he doesn't have the resources to do this on his own."

"Wait, you know who?" Dani's voice dropped into a hushed whisper, her eyes lit up in awe. "Hogwarts is real?"

"You know, I can't tell if she's joking or not." Jaden commented, regarding Dani warily. She smirked and stuck her tongue out at him teasingly before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the blue chair with her.

"She means Sebastian. He was arrested at the same time as Lexi and Tank." Chase explained. "He tried to overtake the Academy after he found out we stopped his father from taking over the world."

"You know, maybe Krane's back." Calla commented, looking up in concern.

"But he's dead." Bree pointed out before any one of us could ask who they were talking about. "He blew up in space, remember?"

"It wouldn't exactly be the first time we wrong about him being dead though, now would it?" Calla countered, taking a bite of her pancakes.

"Give me." Dani took my plate and fork from me, a disgusted look on her face as she used my utensil to slide the bacon from her plate onto mine.

"What makes you so sure it's a bionic villain anyway?" Oliver questioned.

"Well, the only one other enemies we have that would be able to pull this off would be Giselle, but she's _definitely_ dead." Chase replied.

"What about one of ours? A supervillain?" I offered. The others exchanged looks.

"Uh, no offense guys, but from all the supervillains we've met, none of them have had what it takes to pull something like this off. Bionic villains are just…eviler. That's a word right?" Bree looked at her brother for validation.

"You're right about most of them; most villains are just your garden variety criminal with powers, but we've had some pretty dark ones." Skylar insisted. "The Annihilator, Wallace and Clyde…Bridget."

I felt Dani stiffen besides me. I took her hand, offering her a cheeky smile. "C'mon, even she's not cruel enough to attack a toddler."

"You don't know my mother that well then." Oliver grumbled. When Dani shifted uncomfortably, I stepped in.

"I think the point is, we don't know who they're working with." I pointed out. "It could be anyone of those, or someone completely new. We don't know."

"Well, we might soon." Calla commented offhandedly. We all looked at her and she smirked deviously. "I hit Lexi with a tracker."

"You're tracking her?" Dani asked, surprised. Calla shook her head.

"Well, no, not anymore. The tracker went offline twenty minutes, near an abandoned subway tunnel. BUT," She emphasized the word, "I do have MISS monitoring the area. The moment whoever they're working for steps into view, we'll have satellite of their identity."

"Why not just storm the place?" I questioned.

"It's better to know what we're facing rather than going in blind." Chase advised. Calla nodded in agreement.

"Besides, it's not like this'll take long – I'm sure we'll know who we're up against by the end of the day." She added. Dani sighed irritably and got to her feet. "Impatient, much?"

"This waiting is killing me. I need a tofu pop." She declared, heading over to the fridge. She opened it and let out a disappointed sound. "We're out of tofu pops."

"Sorry, my bad. I put it on the grocery list." I apologized. She shook her head.

"Anyone else need something? I'm going to the store." She decided, grabbing her purse. When no one else spoke up, she walked out, the door swinging closed behind her. I sighed and looked at Skylar.

"You had to bring up Bridget?" I questioned in resignation. She knew that was a sensitive topic for Dee, whether or not my girlfriend wanted to admit it. Oliver sighed.

"I'll go talk to her." He offered. He glanced at Calla. "Text me when you know who's bossing Mort and the evil bionics around."

"Will do." Calla agreed, finishing her breakfast. As Oliver left, she licked her lips, looked down at her empty plate, then over at Oliver's. "Dibs on his bacon."

 **Dani's POV**

"You took your time getting here." Mom observed as I walked into the subway tunnel. I bent down, hands on my knees as I recovered my breath.

"Sorry, I ran here, but I had to take the long way through the tunnels." I gestured at the opposite side of the subway tunnel. "Calla got a tracker on Lexi and now she's got our AI watching the entrance like a hawk."

"Thank you for the warning, dear." Mom nodded thoughtfully. I stared at her incredulously.

"Thank you? That's it?" I demanded. She looked at me sharply.

"Was there something else?" She questioned. I nodded.

"Yeah! You attacked a two-year-old, Mom! What the hell?" I demanded, pissed. She gave me a look.

"I was unaware of the child's age. Even I wouldn't kill a child in cold blood, especially not when he's still too young to have chosen a side. Who knows, perhaps he'll be an asset to us one day." She wondered aloud. When she saw the look on my face, she rolled her eyes. "The moment Lexi realized how young he was, she called me for instructions. I told her to leave the boy and get out of there before your team arrived."

"Still." I didn't like that she'd gone after Baby Tecton. "That crosses the line."

"It was an honest mistake, dear. It would not have happened if the information you gave me was updated with the child's age." She retorted, her tone accusing. "In fact, much of the information you gave me was incomplete. Inaccurate."

"A lot of the superheroes move around a lot to keep themselves safe, and besides, Kaz is in charge of keeping the list up to date. It's not my fault if he hasn't been doing his job." I shrugged in annoyance. "You wanted the information, I gave you what we had."

"And I don't doubt that." Mom assured me. "As for those that do, you're going to have the chance to prove yourself to them."

"When?" I questioned, frustrated. She'd said that already, sure, but that was ages ago. I was getting impatient with being left on the outside of things, taking all these risks without any kind of reward.

"Today." I raised an eyebrow, surprise.

"How?"

Mom gave me a look. "You'll know the moment when it comes." She assured me. Her phone buzzed then and she looked it. "You should go. Before your team notices you're missing."

I hesitated. "What are you going to do?"

Mom smiled, the same smile she used to give me when she knew something I didn't. The same smile that had scared me for years. "Send a message."

I frowned, confused, but when I pressed her for more information, she refused to elaborate. I sighed in annoyance. "Alright." I agreed reluctantly, taking a few steps back. "I guess I will see you soon then."

I turned on my heel and started down the dark, damp tunnel. Eventually, it would lead to the tunnels that my team and I used to get around the city – it was faster and generally safer late at night – but for now, I was forced to trudge through the subway.

I thought back to what Mom had said about having the chance to prove myself. She had hinted at that before, though it had been implied that I would have to choose between her and my team. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. This was never supposed to go this far, and after what happened with Baby Tecton this morning-

I stopped in my tracks, suddenly hearing the sound of gravel moving behind me. I sighed, shaking my head. "Was there something else, Mom?" I questioned as I turned around. But my voice caught in my throat when I saw that it wasn't Mom standing behind me. Ollie stood a few feet away, staring at me, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "Shit."

 **Kaz's POV**

"How are you so good at this?" Skylar questioned, sighing as Bree swept up all the Oreos we were using as poker chips in her arms. The speedster smirked, taking the deck and shuffling it together.

"Calla brought a poker set into the lab about a month after we met. And between her being overcompetitive and Chase cheating, I had to learn a few tricks to finally beat them." She explained, dealing out hands. Chase, the only one of us not playing, looked up from his book, offended.

"I do not cheat." He retorted.

"Hate to break it to you babe, but using a bionic ability to calculate the odds of specific cards being in the river or flop." Calla told him teasingly, glancing at her cards. She paused, something catching her eye. "You know, Kaz, you'd probably be doing a lot better if you _stopped eating your chips_."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have suggested we use cookies as chips instead of real ones." I retorted, purposefully taking a bite out of another cookie. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she tossed a cookie into the pot.

"I think I left my set of chips back at the Academ-"

" _Sorry to interrupt, Miss Calla,"_ MISS cut her off mid-sentence. _"But you asked to be informed as soon as movement was captured at the possible location for Lexi's base of operations."_

We all exchanged looks. "Kaz, call Oliver and Dani, tell them to get back here. MISS, if you could show the images on the main screen?" Chase requested, standing up.

I pulled out my phone as the TV screen turned on, showing an image of the entrance to the subway tunnel. There was a person on screen, exiting the tunnel, but they were too far away to get a good view. "Can you get a closer look, MISS?" Calla asked hopefully.

MISS complied, focusing in on the image, the person finally coming into focus. I was about halfway through dialing Dani's number when I realized that I knew the woman on the screen.

"Uh…Kaz?" Skylar looked at me, eyes widening as she recognized her too. Calla, Bree, Chase, and Jaden all looked at us, confused.

"You guys know her? Is she a supervillain?" Jaden questioned, looking at us. I dropped my hand, my phone still clutching in my hand.

"Yeah, we do. That's Mr. Terror." Skylar answered, a concerned frown on her face. "She's Oliver and Dani's mother."

 **Oliver's POV**

"What the hell, Dani?!" I shouted, completely stunned. I'd followed her to make sure she was okay – I'd thought Mom was a sensitive topic for her, but clearly I was wrong about that.

My sister gulped nervously, glancing over her shoulder as if to check that she hadn't been followed. "H-How much of that did you hear?" She asked, her voice shaking nervously.

"I heard enough." I retorted. "You're talking to…you're working with Mom, are you kidding me?"

She winced at the loudness in my voice. "It's not that simple, Ollie."

"Then explain what's going on!" I demanded. "Seriously, Dani, what in the actual hell are you thinking?"

"I…I don't think that's actually a phrase…" She laughed nervously. I glared at her. "Look, Ollie, it's…it's complicated."

"Then make it simple. Explain." Maybe there was a logical explanation for all of this, because right now, I couldn't figure it out. Dani and Mom, they were like fire and ice. They'd never gotten along, not even back when we just thought Mom was being overprotective. And now they were supposedly working together? I just couldn't wrap my head around it.

"Ollie…"

"The truth, Dani." I insisted, angry. She nodded, a guilty look crossing over her face.

"Mom contacted me a few days ago, said she wanted to meet in person." She began. "I…thought I could maybe talk her into turning herself in or something."

"That's not what it sounded like to me." I commented. She waved her hand.

"You must have missed part of the conversation. As for the last part, I didn't expect things to go that way either." Dani admitted. "I only agreed with her in there because I wasn't sure what she'd do if I didn't."

I guess that sorta made sense, and if I did miss part of that conversation, it could explain a bit about the things I did hear. "Why didn't you tell me that she got into contact with you?"

"I wasn't sure what you'd say, and you wouldn't have let me come in here like I did." She admitted. I nodded.

"Damn straight I wouldn't have. Dani, this wasn't just dangerous, it was stupid dangerous!" I scolded.

"I had to try." She murmured. She looked at me, eyes pleading. "Skylar, she wants to take Mom down like we would any villain, and if that means Mom dying like…like Roddiseus, then she's okay with that. But as crappy a mother as she was, she's still our mother."

I sighed, not exactly disagreeing. "Skylar understands that."

"No, she doesn't." Dani replied, not unkindly. "Skylar never had a mom, or any parents for that matter. She doesn't understand this – she can't. And while I don't blame her for that, that doesn't mean I have to agree with her either. And the others, they're on board with it too. They just see her as another villain, not like she's our mother. I had to at least try, Ollie."

God, this was SO Dani – doing something stupid because she thought it was right. Still, a small part of me wondered if she was lying to me, if there was something, more dangerous going on.

"Are you sure that's it, Dee?" I asked. She looked at me, a small frown on her face.

"What else would there be?" She asked softly, giving me a confused look. I sighed. No, as much as I loved Dani, she wasn't smart enough (or stupid enough, depending on your point of view) to hide something that big from me.

"We have to tell the others." I told her. She bit her lip, not liking the idea. "Dee, we have to. They'll understand, and maybe we can make sure Mom gets a fair trial."

"Maybe." She agreed reluctantly. I smiled, satisfied.

"C'mon." I ushered her towards the tunnels. "Let's go."

 **Kaz's POV**

We were already suited up, ready to go, when the twins walked in. "Hey guys, we need to talk." Oliver started as they came in, though he paused when he saw that we were all prepped. "Was there a mission alert while we were gone?"

"No, um…" We all exchanged looks. After we realized it was Bridget, we weren't sure whether to call them or not. It might be easier, dealing with this without them, but then again, they had the right to know. "You guys might want to sit down."

"…Why?" Dani questioned, frowning.

"We got a hit on who's been working with Lexi, Mort, and Tank. We think she's their boss, actually." Calla began hesitantly, looking at Skylar and I in hopes that we'd take over.

"Uh, their boss…" I started, but Dani cut me off.

"It's Mom, isn't it?" She guessed.

"How'd you know?" Chase asked sharply. Oliver stepped forward before Dani could speak.

"She contacted us. Wants us to work with her." He explained, sending Dani a glance over his shoulder. "Obviously, we're not interested. That's why we came straight here."

"Good move." Bree agreed.

"So, we're storming the place?" Dani asked softly.

"Something like that, yeah." Chase nodded.

"You guys don't have to come, not if you don't feel up to it." Jaden added, stepping out of the hyperlift, carrying a large blaster. He gave the twins a smile. "We'd get it."

"No, we're in." Dani replied, shaking her head. She gave her brother a small smile. "Our mom, our responsibility."

"She's right." Oliver nodded.

"Glad to hear it." I grinned, putting my arms around their shoulders. "Suit up, and let's go kick Mort's ass."

Before they could respond, MISS spoke up again. "Lexi's tracker is on the move again." She announced. The image on the TV screen switched to a map of Centium City. A flashing red dot slowly moved along one of the streets. "Judging by her trajectory, it appears that they're heading to a private airstrip, just south of the city."

"The airport? Why?" Oliver questioned, frowning. He looked over at Dani, but my girlfriend shrugged, as confused as we were.

"Doesn't matter. We need to get there and stop them before they do whatever it is that they're planning." Calla decided. She looked at us. "Let's go."

 **Dani's POV**

I couldn't believe it; Ollie covered for me. I lied straight to his face, something I was too good at for comfort, and not only did he believe every word, but he also took my side in things with the others. I should be pleased, but instead, there was a big ball of guilt building up in my stomach, almost making me nauseous. I hated lying to Ollie, always had, but this? I didn't even hesitate, and it didn't even bother me in the moment. Not just that, but I took advantage of the trust we'd always had in each other, and used that against him. That was wrong, that was incredibly wrong and I felt horrible for it, but I couldn't take the action back now. All I could do was hope that things turned out okay.

Not that they would. Mom had something big planned, and I suspected that she expected me to publicly change to her side, maybe even attack the others. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, the rock being what I really wanted but the hard place being the right thing to do. No matter what I chose, there would be serious consequences. It felt like my heart was tearing itself in half, trying to decide which family to go with.

I flew past a skyscraper, hurtling towards the air strip, Ollie and Kaz at my sides. Bree and Skylar were below us, our flight matching their average running speed. Calla, Chase, and Jaden weren't far behind, having grabbed a couple of the Davencycles from the garage. Maybe I should just come clean, tell them everything. Maybe they wouldn't be that mad. Hell, maybe they'd even understand why all this had to happen…Aw, who was I kidding? They'll be pissed when they find out the truth; we were a team, we were supposed to trust each other, and I pretty much threw all that out the window the moment I got my mother on the phone.

What felt like both too soon and too long at the same time, we arrived at the air strip. But when Kaz, Ollie, and I landed on the tarmac, it was too late; we watched as a small, private jet started to take off. Standing some ways away were Mort, Lexi, and Tank, watching the plane go. "Oh no." Bree said as she and Skylar skidded to a stop next to us. "We're too late."

"Where's Mr. Terror?" Chase demanded as he, Calla, and Jaden's Davencycles stopped a few feet away.

"You're too late!" Mort mocked as he, Lexi, and Tank approached us. He smirked cockily, obviously pleased that they beat us here.

"Don't be so smug; she left you behind, remember?" Skylar snapped, narrowing her eyes at the villains.

"We need to go after her." Chase decided.

"Yeah, not gonna happen." Lexi sneered before speeding forward as it to attack. Bree sped up first, though, blocking her path.

"Try it." Our speedster challenged. Tank and Mort came up behind Lexi, ready to fight. We all stepped forward, not about to let them get away, but paused when Calla spoke up.

"We've got this." She murmured as she created a pair of proton disks in her hands. "Chase, take Skylar and the twins and grab Davenport's jet. Follow Mr. Terror and stop her. We'll take care of these losers."

"You sure?" Chase asked, hesitant. His wife gave him a smirk.

"Oh yeah." She assured him before lunging forward, her proton disks flying towards Mort. Bree and Jaden also jumped into action, the former speeding forward towards Lexi, limbs flying at impossible speeds, while the latter took aim at Tank with his Concussion Blaster. Kaz spared Ollie and I a look before following suit, clearly wishing he could go with us. But Calla's suggestion was smart – my mother was far more dangerous than these guys, and Skylar, Ollie, and I were some of the bigger powerhouses on the team.

"Be careful!" I called, slowly starting to follow Chase, Skylar, and my brother away from the fight. I knew we needed to get out of there fast – Kaz and the others would stand a better chance of beating Lexi, Mort, and Tank if they didn't have to worry about giving us time to escape, but honestly, I wasn't sure if I was ready for whatever Mom was planning.

"Dani, c'mon!" I heard Skylar shouted. I lingered behind for another moment, watched Kaz send a burst of flames towards Mort, then turned on my heel and raced after the others.

"So, where is she going?" I demanded as we grabbed the Davecycles. Having never rode anything like them before, Ollie and I climbed on behind Skylar and Chase, barely managing to get our helmets on before speeding away from the air strip. "Chase?"

"I'm tracking the jet's trajectory now. We should have a location by time we get to Mr. Davenport's plane." He replied, swerving through traffic. I tightened my grip around his waist, looking over my shoulder in hopes of catching Ollie's eye. He and Skylar were a few feet behind us, careful to stay close enough that they wouldn't get left behind in traffic. Thankfully, Davenport's jet was waiting for us at a nearby airstrip, very similar to the one we just left; we were there in a matter of minutes.

"Skylar, you're my co-pilot." Chase ordered as we entered the cockpit. She nodded silently, taking a seat next to him.

"So where's our Mom going?" Ollie questioned. Chase frowned and concentrated.

"Well, according to her flight path, she's headed to…" He trailed off. "Shit."

"What?" I demanded. He cursed under his breath, flipping switches.

"She's headed for Facility X." He informed us. "We have to get there before she does."

"Facility X? Isn't that where we stored the Arcturion?" Skylar demanded, eyes going wide.

"I guess she wants more powers." That explained it. That was what Mom had wanted all along, though honestly, I should have guessed it earlier.

"But how did she find out it was there?" Skylar frowned, confused. Ollie spared me a glance.

" _Dani, tell me you didn't."_ He pleaded with me telepathically.

" _Would I really give her access to all that power? C'mon, Ollie, I'm not that stupid."_ I sent back, keeping the conversation brief. I'd been keeping our telepathic connection at a distance; I didn't want him seeing more than what I allowed, not even by accident. Now that he was already suspicious, my personal thoughts would just make things dangerous.

"We have to stop her before she gets ahold of it." Skylar fretted.

"Well, luckily, Mr. Davenport's private jet is one of the fastest in the world." Chase assured her. "They have a head start, but we might just be able to catch up with them. Oliver, Dani, sit down and buckle up; it might be a bumpy ride."

 **Oliver's POV**

"So, where's the Arcturion?" Dani questioned as we entered the facility. "And where is all the security?"

"There wasn't much; no one ever comes out here." Chase explained. He had a point; the facility was an unassuming building in the middle of a massive forest near the Canadian border. No one would end up here by accident, and it was hard enough to spot from the air with all these trees. "There should be a few guards here though, protecting the secure storage area. Which is right around…"

Chase cut himself off as we turned the corner, the genius stopping in his tracks. Kneeling by a pair of unconscious guards was a tall, square-jawed guy with spiky brown hair. He looked about our age, and wore mostly black, along with a camo-green vest. He looked up as we came in, then smirked to himself.

"Chase!" He greeted, standing up. "It's been a long time."

"Sebastian." Chase gritted his teeth together. "I should have guessed you'd be working for Mr. Terror."

"Well, she makes one hell of a boss." He laughed before raising a hand. A bo staff, similar to Chase's, but glowing red instead of blue, appeared in his palm. He swung it around himself, showing it off, before falling into a fighting stance. "About time I got my rematch."

"You'll lose." Chase retorted, whipping out his own plasma bo staff. He charged at Sebastian, the bo staff held high above his head. He swung it down on Sebastian, but the bionic villain raised his in protection, blocking the attack. He then spun around, as if to gain momentum for his bo staff, but at the last moment, he raised his other hand, and a blast of electricity burst from it. The blast hit Chase directly in the chest, throwing him back into the wall behind him.

Chase slid the ground with a groan just as Skylar tried her luck, lunging at Sebastian, only to cartwheel away at the last moment. She shot a blast of energy at him, but unfortunately, he deflected it with his bo staff.

"Secure the Arcturion." Chase ordered, pushing himself to his feet. Dani didn't even hesitate, already racing towards the secure storage room. I followed after her, staying close as Skylar and Chase took on Sebastian. Surprisingly, he didn't seem too interested in stopping us from entering the storage, his focus only on defeating Chase and Skylar.

We burst into the secure storage room – a small, white room with shelves lining the wall – only to find that Mom had beat us here. My mother stood in the middle of the room, right next to a podium that held the Arcturion space rock.

"Mom." Dani called, letting her know we were here. My mother looked up, drawing her hand back, away from the Arcturion.

"Danica, Oliver. Good, I've been waiting for you." She greeted, smiling in satisfaction.

"You can't get more powers from it." I told her, nodding at the Arcturion. "Not without killing yourself."

"You don't have to worry about that, dear. I've found someone to help with that." She assured me. "It can give us all powers, more than you already have. We'd be the most powerful family on the planet."

"We don't want any more powers." I snapped. "And we're no family; you destroyed that a year and a half ago."

"Perhaps I didn't handle things with you two the way I should, but that's all in the past." She assured me. "We can move past that, go back to my original plan."

"To take over the world?" I challenged. "No thanks."

"To make it safer. For you." She assured me. "To protect the people you care about."

"Please. The moment they got in the way, you'd get rid of them so you could 'protect' us." I argued. "This isn't protection, this is you wanting control, whether you see it or not."

"Oh, Oliver, I was hoping you would see our side." She sounded so disappointed, as if she really thought I would join her. But neither Dani or I were stupid enough to fall for whatever she said. I stiffened as she picked the Arcturion up, turning the pyramid over in her hands.

"Stop. Mom, stop." I told her, stepping forward. I looked at her pleadingly. "We can't join you, but we don't want to fight you either. So, put down the Arcturion and let me take you to UPSEI, alright?"

"I can't do that, honey." She told me, giving me a bittersweet smile. "I have to do this. You'll understand one day."

"No, I won't. Now put down the Arcturion, or we'll have to make you put it down." I raised my hand, creating a ball of ice in the palm to show her I was serious. She gave me a condescending look, the same she used to give us when she was amused by our inability to do something. "Fine. I'm sorry, Mom, but you gave us no choice."

I crushed the ice ball and prepared to send a blast of ice her way (just powerful enough to incapacitate her), but before I could, a bolt of lightning struck the ground by my feet. I jumped back in surprise, then looked up, wide-eyed, at my sister. She stepped towards Mom, but her hands were aimed at me, a ball of electrical energy held tightly in one. "Dani?"

"I can't let you do that, Ollie." She told me, giving me an apologetic look. I stared at her, not understanding.

"Dani, what are you doing?" I whispered, horrified. She gave me a saddened look.

"I'm sorry, Ollie, but I have to do what I think is right." She answered, taking a shaky breath. I went to take a step towards her, but she zapped the ground again, stopping me dead in my tracks. "Don't…please don't."

"Or what, you'll attack me? Your own brother?" I demanded. She nodded stiffly, eyes watering a little.

"If I have to." She breathed, guilt crossing her face. I shook my head at her in disbelief.

"I don't know who are anymore." I murmured, absolutely thunderstruck. She flinched at my words, but didn't respond to them. Suddenly, Sebastian appeared in the room, geo-leaping in from the other. He was bleeding from a cut on his lip.

"If we're going to bail, we need to do it now." He told my mother. She nodded, smiled, then took the Arcturion in her hands. She placed her hand on Sebastian's shoulder, then looked at my sister expectantly.

"Are you coming, dear?" She inquired.

"Dani, don't!" I shouted. My sister sent me one last, devastatingly apologetic look, then grabbed Sebastian's arm. I lunged forward to pull her away, but they were gone in an instant.

I stared at the spot where they had been standing, trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. I couldn't believe that Dani had just done that, had just left us, left our team, just like that?

I heard footsteps come up behind me. "Oliver!" Skylar called as she and Chase ran into the room. "Where's Mr. Terror and the Arcturion?" When I didn't answer, she grabbed my hand. "Oliver, where's Dani?"

 **Kaz's POV**

"She's been brainwashed!" I declared, pacing around the penthouse. After Lexi, Mort, and Tank had geo-leap away in the middle of our battle, Calla, Jaden, Bree, and I had come back to the penthouse. Minutes later, the rest of our teams, sans Dani, arrived with the news. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Yes, brainwashing must be the only logical explanation." Calla commented sarcastically. "Dude, no."

"Calla." Chase warned her, giving her a look. I looked around at the others, but no one was saying.

"C'mon, it fits, and it wouldn't be the first time we'd seen it." I insisted. I looked at Bree, hoping she'd back me up on this. "What was that thing you were telling me about? The Titan App?"

"Triton App." Bree corrected, even as she shook her head. "But it wasn't that. The only device capable of using it on humans was destroyed."

"She wasn't brainwashed." I looked over at Oliver when he spoke up, the first time since they'd come back. He shook his head, closing his eyes. "I would know if there was something wrong with her mind, and she was acting…well, she wasn't acting brainwashed."

"Then Mr. Terror did something to her. Made her evil, like…like the Annihilator made you evil." I spun around, looking at Skylar.

"Maybe…" She sighed, looking and sounding doubtful.

"Kaz, buddy, I know you don't want to admit it, but Dani joined her mother of her own free will." Chase told me, his tone sympathetic.

"No, she didn't. She couldn't have." I refused to believe it. I looked around at the others, but they all had the same, betrayed, defeated looks on their faces. "Guys, it's Dani we're talking about. Miss Animal-Loving, Bridget-Hating, Soccer-Playing Dani! She'd never work for her mother."

"Except, that's exactly what's been happening." Calla sighed, leaning her head on her fist as she looked up at me. "Mort told me there was a mole, but…I didn't believe him. Turns out, he was telling the truth."

"I don't believe this. I don't." I argued with them. If they didn't want to believe in Dani, fine, but I would. "There's something else going on here. She's not evil."

 **Dani's POV**

"…And that's when I decided to move our base of operations down here…" I barely listened as Mom droned on and on about her new base of the operations. Under different circumstances, I would be excited to be down here – her new base was a stylish, modern-designed series of rooms and tunnels underground, complete with bright lights and a cool waterfall in the lounge area – but right now, I could care less.

I hadn't wanted things to end like that, especially not between Ollie and I. God, he must hate me now. I suppose I deserved that, but it still wasn't a good feeling. I hadn't wanted to hurt him, or the team, but my back had been against the wall, and I didn't know what else to do except follow the plan.

"Danica, are you listening to me?" My mother stopped, looking at me.

"Sorry." I shook my head to clear it. "Sorry, just…distracted, is all."

Mom gave me a sympathetic look. "He'll come around, dear. Once he sees what we're capable of, your brother will join us."

"Yeah…yeah, you're right." I agreed, if only to get her to drop it. I needed to shake this, to distract myself with something else. Perhaps she sensed this, because the next thing I knew, Mom was leading me into another room, this time a kitchen. Mort, Lexi, Sebastian, and Tank were all inside, talking over cups of coffee.

"Hey, when are we going to crack into the Arcturion? You promised us more abilities." Sebastian called upon seeing us. He looked me over briefly, sizing me up, before looking back at my mother. She gave him a look.

"Soon. I'm waiting on my expert so he can find a way for us to use it without the side effects." She promised him. She cleared her throat. "In the meantime, I want you all to get acquainted. The Elite Force has its flaws, but their teamwork has shown to be a useful skill. As of now, I want you all to work as a team. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Terror." The others all replied. Mom looked at me and I nodded softly.

"Good. I'll leave you to it." She declared, walking away. Once she was gone, Sebastian scoffed.

"Mr. Terror. Sounds stupid." He commented, shaking his head.

"It makes her feel powerful." I replied, taking a seat next to him. He looked at me, surprised that I would challenge his opinion like that. "Most villains use code names anyway."

"True. We haven't been introduced. I'm Sebastian." He held out his hand. I went to shake it and tell him my own name when a long-forgotten memory hit me. _If you're going to play a part, you should commit._ Calla had had a point when she'd told me that. And maybe she had a point. This was a new role for me; I should commit to it, at least more than I already was. And I did have the perfect villain name…

"Call me Short Circuit." I introduced myself, shaking his hand. He smirked.

"Well, this should be interesting." He commented.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Oh, Dani, what have you done? Alright, guys, leave me a review. Good or bad, I'm excited to hear them. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few weeks:**

 **August 28** **th** **: Reunion**

 **September 4** **th** **: Broken Hearts**

 **September 11** **th** **: Bionics VS Superpowers**

 **Oh, and before I forget, there's going to be an 8 month time jump between this chapter and the next. I'll remind people when I post again, but just a heads up. Anyway, I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks. Don't forget to review!**


	26. Reunited

**Kihonne: Hey guys, sorry about the chapter. Long story short, my laptop charger broke without me noticing, and I didn't realize until the laptop about thirty minutes before I was going to post. And since the only copy of the chapter was on that laptop, I've been scrambling to rewrite it from scratch on my brother's laptop. As a result, it's late, it's short, and it's not the quality I was originally going to give you. So, that sucks, but I promise the next chapter will be twice as awesome as originally planned. Anyway, it's shoutout time.**

 **Xxx**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Glad you liked it.**

 **LabGirl2001: Yeah, that happened. Please, do you know me? I love leaving cliffhangers, and I did advertise it as the midseason finale. And yeah, it is going to be rough on him. I'm touching on that a bit in this chapter, but I'll go into full detail on it in the next one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: Nah, it's not bad that you remember. I actually specifically put that line in Canaries in a Cage because of Mother May I. I've had the evil Dani thing planned since the beginning of Days of Our Lives. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter though. And yes, Sebastian is here! It's going to get a little crazy with him back. I never felt that Lab Rats used all his potential, so I'm really excited to delve into the type of villain he can be. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Ha! LOL. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and that you like Dani's new name. It does suck for Kaz. He's going to be really broken up about it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: Sorry to make you wait an extra day on top of that. I'm so glad you liked it though, and I hope you like the rest of it.**

 **SzymonS: Poor Kaz. He is really broken up about all of it. Oliver too, but in a different way, which I will explore a bit in this chapter and in the next few as well. It's going to be really interesting with Dani's new team – there's even going to be a chapter where their new team is the main focus. Though I'm not sure I'm going to be trying to show them in a better light – I did that with Rani and if I make all the villains turn good, it won't be very realistic. But you are going to be seeing deeper sides to them, at the very least. Yes, 8 months is a long time. I'm actually using this chapter to focus on how the eight months, and the aftermath of Dani's betrayal, affected all of them. A lot can change in that amount of time. It is going to be hard for them to forgive Dani, some harder than others. As for the expect, I can not confirm or deny it, but that is a very good guess. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! Sebastian's going to be fun to work with – he was wasted in lab rats, if you ask me, so looking deeper into his character, as well as Lexi's (not sure about Tank yet) is going to be a real treat for me. Ah…Kaz and Oliver…both of them are going to be the most seriously affected by what happened with Dani, though in different ways. You're going to get hints in this chapter, more at Oliver than Kaz, but the next chapter will really go into how badly she hurt them. 8 months…I chose that amount of time because a LOT can change in that time. It's really going to affect them, especially since they're growing up and have other responsibilities now, like Skylar with Caldera and Calla taking over Davenport Industries. I like having Jaden back too. It'll be fun to have the two of them on screen (or digital paper) again, especially with what I've got in store for them ;) As for the Love and War characters, I don't know. Alivia, Lily, Barry, Rani, and Liam all definitely will, but I don't know about Angela, Melody, Surge, or Alan. I've got specific plans for Alivia, Lily, Liam, and Rani, but the rest will likely just be cameos. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Skylar: Kihonne doesn't own lab rats, mighty med, or elite force. She only owns this story, her OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Skylar's POV**

I sighed deeply, closing my eyes as I turned my face up towards the sun, taking in first breath of Earth air that I'd had in a long time. After seven months of being off world, the unique scent of Centium City – an odd mixture of car exhaust and coffee beans - called to me, welcoming me home.

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" I called, stepping inside from where I landed on the penthouse's veranda. But to my surprise, the kitchen and living room were both empty. Huh, maybe they were out, grabbing dinner or on a mission. Shrugging, I started up the stairs to my bedroom, intending on dropping my luggage and souvenirs off.

I'd spent the last few months on Caldera, helping Hapax the Elder to negotiate a peace treaty between both sides of my planet's civil war. At times, I'd thought I'd never be able to leave, but finally, both sides were satisfied with the agreements that had been made. Smiling, now that I could finally say that I was home for good, I pushed open the door to the bedroom.

The room was eerily quiet, looking as if it hadn't been lived in in a very long time. Dani's stuff was all still there, but caked with dust. My side of the room was empty, as I had taken most of my stuff when I left, but Bree's side was completely gone, her capsule and posters nowhere to be seen.

I looked around, confused. "MISS?"

" _Greetings, Miss Skylar."_ The AI greeted. I sighed, please to hear a familiar voice.

"MISS, where is everyone?"

 **Oliver's POV**

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at Barry in shock. He grimaced sheepishly, wincing as he tried to move his arm. I stared at the arrow sticking out of his arm, stunned. "How the hell did you manage to shoot yourself in the arm?"

"Uh…honestly, I was trying to impress Jordan." He admitted. I shook my head, exasperated.

"Alright, Philip." I called the nurse over. "Have Dr. Frankel remove the arrow, treat the wound, then send the idiot," Barry chuckled at my words, then winced, "home with some antibiotics."

"Thanks, man." Barry chuckled. I shook my head, then started to walk away, only to stop, dead in my tracks. Skylar was standing at the entrance, smiling widely as she waited for me. She laughed at the look on my face, amused.

"You're back." I realized, shocked. Her smiled broadened.

"I'm back." She agreed as I stepped forward. She wrapped her arms around me, dropping her face into my shoulder as I hugged her tightly. She pulled away a second later, but kept one hand on my shoulder. "I think we need to talk."

 **Xxx**

"…and now, so long as the peace treaty holds, Caldera is at peace." Skylar finished, leaning back in her seat in my office. She smiled at me. "It's so good to be home."

"It's good to have you home." I replied immediately, meaning it wholeheartedly. When Skylar told me that she was leaving, I had offered to go with her, but with everything going on around here…well, the team would already be down two members. A third leaving wouldn't be a very good idea.

"So, how are things?" Skylar asked, leaning forward in interest. She gave me a sympathetic smile. "How's the search going? For Bridget and her people?"

I noted how she avoided using my sister's name. I shook my head. "There's been nothing new since you left. No one knows what happened to them after they stole the Arcturion. It's like…they dropped off the face of the Earth."

"Could they have turned their attention to other worlds? Maybe Bridget decided to wait on this one…" Skylar frowned. "She could be waiting."

"What for?" I questioned, standing up. I began to pace across the floor, frustrated. "It's been months, Skylar. _Months._ And there's been nothing. They took the Arcturion and they disappeared, just like that. And we have no idea where they are or why they disappeared. Why would she be waiting?"

Skylar bit her lip. "For you, maybe? I mean, Bridget only cares about three things: power, Dani, and you. She has two of them, maybe she's waiting for you to join them. You haven't heard from either of them? Not even…" She tapped her fingers to her temple.

"I tried, remember? I'd send Dani telepathic messages, but she was either not getting them for some reason or she's ignoring me. Probably the latter." I added. I shook my head. "No one's contacted me, not before or after you left."

"We're missing something." Skylar frowned. She shook her head to clear it. "So, what else? What's Kaz up to? Chase and Calla? What about Bree?"

"Uh…Kaz is complicated. When he's not moonlighting for the League, he's searching for my sister." I sighed. Kaz had become obsessed over the last few months. "As for the others…well, crime's been low for a while and less and less missions were coming our way."

"The team's broken up." Skylar sighed, distraught. "I was hoping MISS was wrong about that."

"We didn't break up the team. We just…" It was hard to explain, really, what had happened. "We just started moving on. Kaz is…distant and Dani's gone, leaving me to run Mighty Med 2.0. Davenport retired, so Calla's been caught up with work, Chase is doing something political, and Bree's working on getting a real job. We got busy."

"But we're heroes. We're supposed to be on the alert all the time. It's our job to make sure the city is safe." Skylar insisted.

"And we do. We just haven't been needed." I assured her. "I mean, if the city was in danger, we'd be there. Of course we would, but…they don't need us anymore. And we have lives too. Why shouldn't we get to live them?"

"I guess…" Skylar didn't look convinced.

"Hey." I cupped her chin in my hand. "We're still heroes, alright? But if there's nothing and nobody to save the world from, then what's the point?"

 **Calla's POV**

"Oh my God, I love you." I declared wholeheartedly, licking my lips as I grabbed a box and leaned back in my chair. Flipping it open, I dug my chopsticks into it, even as Bree laughed.

"I can't tell if you're talking to me or the take out." She chuckled, taking a bite of her noodles.

"Honestly, I don't know." I admitted, swallowing. "Mmm, God, seriously! Chase is trying to cut down on my junk again, and so he's pretty much banned take out from the entire penthouse."

"Hence why I moved in with Jaden." Bree replied, pointing her chopsticks at me. "So, how's the time machine thing going? Chase told me that Skylar sent you enough rock samples that you were able to recreate the formula?"

"Yep." I smirked proudly. "I mean, there are still some things to work out – how to hold the fuel, how to make sure that when we do go back in time we only change the things we want to change, stuff like that – but she's been a big help. Haven't talked to her in a few months though."

"Neither have I." Bree admitted. "I've just been swamped with work."

I chuckled. "I still can't believe you're doing this."

"What?" She blinked, confused. I waved my hand vaguely.

"Going back to school, getting a degree. I mean, you'd mentioned wanting to check out other careers in art if the whole bionic thing didn't work out, but I honestly never thought too much about it." I admitted. She smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Well, I like art, always have, and becoming a museum curator requires a degree…besides, when I ever have kids, it'll be a lot easier to force them to go to school if I can say that I did, right?"

I cocked an eyebrow at that. "Kids? Are you…"

"No!" She said quickly, eyes widening. I chuckled at her too-fast response. "I mean, no. We haven't really talked about it either, but…one day, maybe."

"Yeah, maybe." I agreed. She looked at me, waiting. "Chase and I…we talked about it, but as a someday. And really, between this," I gestured around my office, "and him interning at the mayor's office…I don't know if we'd really have the time to even consider kids right. And we're young; we should wait a bit."

"Agreed." Bree nodded.

" _Calla,"_ My office's intercom sparked to life, AJ's voice coming from the device on the wall. _"just a reminder about your 7:30 meeting concerning the specs for the holophone."_

"Right." Glancing at my watch, I noticed the time. "Crap. That's in three minutes."

"Go." Bree waved her hand at me. "I can clean this up."

"Thanks. We're still on for dinner on Friday, right?" I checked, already getting up.

"Yeah. We'll bring dessert. Something sugary enough to make Chase grimace." She added. I laughed lightly, slipping out of my office. I quickly turned the corner, into the teleconference room. I dropped into my seat and activated my screen and comm. set. Seconds later, several faces appeared on my screen, ranging from board members like Mr. Talent, to my most recent hires, like Leo.

"Alright." I declared, wringing my hands together. "Let's get down to business."

 **Skylar's POV**

I leaned into the kiss, savoring the feeling of my lips against Oliver's. We hadn't kissed much before I left, but now, after so many months apart, it just seemed natural. I felt Oliver's hands move across my back, sliding down towards the hem of my pants as my hands ran up his neck to his hair. Unfortunately, before we could go any further, the door to his office swung open and a young, dark-skinned girl wearing a nurse's uniform burst in.

"Oliv…oh, crap. Sorry." The teenager quickly spun around, one hand smoothing back her one deep blue lock into the rest of her straight, black hair, obviously embarrassed at having walked in on us.

"It's fine, Jazz." Oliver assured her, pulling away from me, putting some room between us on the couch. He coughed, slightly embarrassed. "Uh, Skylar, this is our new intern, Jazz."

"Right. Your dad was the Great Defender, right?" I asked, recognizing the fourteen-year-old. She nodded, then looked at Oliver worriedly.

"Have you seen the news?" She questioned, a little frantic. We exchanged looks, confused.

 **Calla's POV**

"Hey, I brought you dinner." I looked up from the paperwork spread across my desk as Chase walked in, still dressed in the suit he insisted on wearing to work every day, carrying a steaming tubaware container. I quickly pushed aside the takeout boxes, but it was too late. He gave me an exasperated look, disappointed. "Calla!"

" _Sorry to interrupt."_ Saved by the bell, er, the AI.

"Perfect timing, MISS." I muttered. Chase gave me a look, to which I responded with a sheepish smirk. "Yes, MISS, what is it?"

"I believe there is something you need to see." The AI announced. My TV screen slid out from the ceiling until we could see all of it, then turned on to a news report.

The screen showed a live feed of Centium City Central Park, where three individuals – two identical, dark-haired strangers and a girl who looked exactly like Skylar – were screaming at several bystanders. It wouldn't have really been important to us, if one of the guys didn't shook a ball of plasma energy at the crowd a second later. The moment he did, Chase dropped the tubaware container onto the desk and I jumped out of my desk.

"… _As you can see here, Dixie, these…person has started attacking crowds of people, claiming that he wants to take over the city."_ The reporter, Chip, was saying.

Chase and I exchanged looks. "Eight months of peace, and then we get stuck with these crackpots?" Chase questioned.

"You really expected it to last?" I shot back, briefly glancing away from the screen. "I guess we're back in business."

"I'll get the car." Chase offered, sending me a look.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Who is he?" I questioned, looking at Skylar as we waited for the elevator to bring us up to the Penthouse. I'd barely spent much time there in the last few months – there was an extra room in Mighty Med 2.0. and though it had been saved as an office for Dani, I'd started using it as a spare bedroom – but my suit was still here. The elevator dinged then and the doors opened onto our floor.

"Their names are Esmund, Elian, and Sasha. They were key parts of the Rebellion. I know they weren't too happy about the outcome of the peace treaty, but they were overruled by the others." She replied as we stepped into the Penthouse. To our surprise, Bree, Calla, and Chase were already inside, suited up and ready to go.

"So, they're Calderan?" Calla questioned, overhearing Skylar. Bree grinned and hugged her friend.

"It's good to have you home." She murmured before pulling away. Skylar smiled at her, then turned to address Calla.

"Yes, they're from my home planet." She confirmed.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Kaz burst through the door, hair askew and clothes a bit disheveled. "Sorry, Liv needed someone to take Barry's place on a mission, since he apparently shot himself in the leg again trying to impress Jordan."

"The arm, actually." I corrected.

"Oh, at least he switches it up." Kaz smirked. I gave him a wry smile.

"Been a while." I commented. He scowled.

"You're the one who stopped looking for her." He accused.

"Hey." Skylar cut in before we could start arguing. "Let's focus on what's important."

"The mission." Chase added. Bree grinned, glancing at us.

"I missed this." She commented.

"C'mon." Calla rolled her eyes. "You three suit up. Let's go."

 **xxx**

"If we cannot have our planet, we will have yours!" Esmund, the one in a green uniform, declared, standing on top of a bench in the middle of the park.

"Wow, you sound crazy." Calla declared as we approached the three Calderans.

"Skylar Storm!" Sasha growled upon seeing her fellow Calderan.

"Okay, I get the whole bit about you not being happy that Caldera's agreed to continue helping other planets, and that there's still intergalactic travel on and off the world, but why attack here?" Skylar questioned, exasperated. "I mean, seriously, why?"

"We figured, you ruined our plan for our planet, time to ruin the planet you chose over your home." Elian, the one dressed in blue, retorted, balls of plasma surrounding his hands.

We all exchanged looks. We'd dealt with psychos like this before. "Go!" Was all Chase had to say.

Skylar and I charged directly at Esmund, her with her plasma balls and me with my cryoblast. Esmund was fast and freakishly flexible, like any other Calderan, but also apparently trained for hand to hand combat. He jumped into the air, bringing his knees high to avoid the plasma balls and the cryoblast, then spun mid-air, kicking at my face. I dropped back a step, narrowly avoiding it, but Esmund had been ready for that.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he spun around, dropping low and kicking the legs out from under me. He tried to get Skylar too, but she back-flipped out of the way, avoiding it. As I scrambled back to my feet, she naturally fell into a fighting stance and raised her hand, blasting Esmund in the chest with a massive plasma ball.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others combatting their opponents. Kaz and Chase were working together, alternating between Kaz scorching Elian with fire and Chase attacking him with his plasma bo. Meanwhile, Bree and Calla were teaming up against Sasha, using a combination of speed and clever strategy to confuse the Calderan.

"Oliver, duck!" Skylar shouted. Following her command instantly, I dropped to the ground, barely managing to avoid being scorched by one of Esmund's plasma balls. I quickly shot a blast of my own, sending a wave of icicles his way. He jumped to avoid them, but Skylar, noticing his habit of leaping into the air to avoid getting hit, reacted instantly. She shot a plasma ball into the air, just as he leapt right into it's path.

The plasma ball hit him right in the chest, throwing him to the ground and knocking the air right out of his lungs. He groaned painfully, and tried to sit up, but Skylar and I were already on top of him.

"Stay down." I advised, aiming a hand at him in case he tried anything.

"You guys alright?" Skylar called over her shoulder to the others.

"Yeah, just about wrapped up." Kaz assured her as he dragged Elian along with him. Bree was one step ahead, already putting Sasha in power restraining handcuffs. "Uh, who wants to deal with them?"

Kaz gestured over at a group of civilians watching us, along with the reporter, Chip. "How about the famous bionic boy?" Calla suggested, putting her hands on Chase's shoulders. He gave her a look. "Man. Bionic man. Just go tell them some crazy bionic people attacked the city. Blame it on Krane or something."

"Yeah, that'll work." Chase agreed before jogging over to talk to Chip.

"Sit." Bree instructed, pushing Sasha onto the ground next to Elian and Esmund. She let out a long sigh, then spared Skylar a glance. "Like I said, good to have you back, but next time-"

"Can I leave the other whack-job members of my species behind?" Skylar finished. She nodded. "Sure."

 **Calla's POV**

"No, Glitch, stop!" Jaden scolded, grabbing his dog by the back of his collar as the golden retriever lunged at Katy. The cat has wandered out from Dani's old room in search of something to eat, and judging by the way it bolted behind the fridge, clearly wasn't pleased about the company we had. "Sorry guys, he's usually so good with pets."

"It's alright. I'll give Katy some left over pizza later and she'll be happy as can be." Kaz assured him, placing the three large boxes on the kitchen table. "Dig in, everyone!"

"You know, I almost forgot how much fun missions were to go on." Bree commented, leaning forward and grabbing a couple of slices for her and Jaden. She handed him his food, then leaned back in her chair. "Seriously, what happened to all the missions we used to go on?"

"The police officers in the city finally got weapons and training to handle 'bionic'," Jaden used air quotes, "threats, curtesy of Davenport Industries."

"Ugh, right. Still, as much as I missed this, it's better to have them prepared." I commented.

"Well, I still don't get why you had to break up the team." Skylar commented. I glanced at Oliver, not at all surprised that he hadn't told her.

We'd spent a whole two months looking for Dani, but with nothing to go on, the search dried up. As much as we wanted answers, we weren't going to waste our time trying to find someone who didn't want to be found. Kaz, however, was obsessed. Geminus was trying to help by distracting him with missions, but he never stopped looking. A couple of weeks after Skylar left, Oliver had just snapped. He and Kaz got in this huge fight, and Oliver had stormed out. He hadn't really been back since. And then the work at Davenport Industries piled up, and Chase got offered that internship with the mayor and we all kinda went our own ways.

"Well, I say screw that. We're a team, we stick together." Jaden suggested. We all exchanged looks; Jaden probably wasn't aware of all the details either.

"I think that's a great idea. We shouldn't have broken up in the first place." Chase agreed. He glanced at me, an expectant look in his eyes.

"…Alright. Yeah." Oh, I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well. Dani had left a giant crack in our team, and I wasn't sure it would be repaired so easily. But as one by one, we all agreed to reform the team (including both Kaz and Oliver), I wondered if it wasn't worth the try.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, so there were supposed to be a few more scenes, but I just don't have time to write them. Besides, I can just edit them a little and add them to the next chapter, which I do sincerely promise will be amazing. To answer all immediate questions, Dani will be there, we'll see more of Kaz and Jaden, and you will get at least a partial answer to why Bridget has gone back into hiding for a while. And the ending will be particularly exciting, at least in my opinion. However, due to the fact that I don't know when I will have a working laptop, and because school is starting, this is the new update schedule:**

 **September 10** **th** **: Broken Hearts**

 **September 15** **th** **: Bionics VS Superpowers**

 **September 24** **th** **: The Second Time Around**

 **As you can maybe tell, updates will now be happening Sunday nights, mostly due to the fact that my new school schedule for this semester does not give me Mondays off anymore. Anyway, sorry about the wait, but I will make it worth it.**

 **PS: Before I forget, I'm doing a poll on my profile that will affect the story. The gist of it is 'Should I write Demons, a story set 3 years from the end of The Power of Seven or should I just convert the plot to work as a third season in this story?' Please put your input in, as it will affect how I set up the rest of the story.**


	27. Broken Hearts

**Kihonne: Hello peoples of Earth! It is I, Kihonne, back with another chapter. This time it's called Broken Hearts. But before we get onto the chapter, it's shoutout time.**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I know, right? And the week before school too! Thankfully, the new cord arrived the same day as classes started, so I didn't miss much. And yeah, a few people were thinking that too. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.**

 **Brianna: Hey, we have the same name. Well, spelt differently, but it's still cool. Thanks for the vote, I will add it to the list. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and that you're excited for what comes next. As for Dani, well, she joined her mother and her team of evil henchmen, but if you're referring to what has happened with her over the last eight months, there's going to be some hints at that this chapter, and then a more detailed explanation in the chapter after that, so you're just going to have to wait to find out.**

 **Guest: Well, I think it would be worth re-reading chapter 20, Bad Ideas, for the explanation you're looking for, but the short form is that Dani joined up with her mother after her mother promised her that they could use their power to put an end to the more dangerous supervillains and achieve a form of peace. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Shadow-wolf78: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you like this chapter too.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Enjoy!**

 **Algernon23: Honestly, it was the worst luck ever. The fact that I didn't have easy access to the main computer at home either (it's a long story, but my mom's pretty much using it 24/7) meant that if you guys were going to get the chapter before Thursday, I had to rewrite it all in a span of 5 hours, which is about half the time I usually spend on a chapter. You're right – Kaz and Oliver were supposed to have a bigger focus in the last chapter, but it may have worked out that I'm including it in this one. It's definitely going to be a hard time on the team, especially with everything going on with them. Dani being gone, Kaz still searching for her, the boys fighting, and some other stuff that I don't want to spoil just yet…it's going to be a crazy year for them alright. Anyway, thanks for the good luck wishes and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Taa:** **Off the top of my head? Uh, there's the IQ Alarm Clock, the Paragun, the Plasma Gun, the Concussion Blaster, the Geo-Leap Watch, the Geo-Leap Bracelet, Leo's fire ball ability, MISS, her time machine, and probably a couple of other things I can't remember. I used to have a list, but my brother accidently deleted it and I haven't had the chance to re-do it yet.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do hope this chapter lives up to expectations though – starting to regret saying how awesome it is going to be because now I have to make sure it's perfect. I know, right? I always thought Sebastian was coming back. I'm still going to have Tank, I'm just not sure how easy it's going to be to develop his character. No, I think it's safe to say that Sebastian's moved on from Bree. I think that little crush of his disappeared the moment he found out about what she did to his father, to be honest. But don't worry; you're still going to get to see at least a little bit of him flirting with some other girls. Now, Jordan…it's hard to say, honestly. In the original plans for Love and War, she was supposed A, be a recurring character and B, find out about the superhero world, but obviously, that didn't happen. If she ever does make another on screen appearance – which I'm hoping to do at some point – she'll know by then. And no, it's certainly not the first or last time he's gotten himself hurt trying to impress her. And yes, we had a brief Bralla friendship moment. I miss having those two together, especially since they're more like sisters than friends. I do plan on showing a few more scenes of them together, especially since they are two of the oldest members of the team. And yes, Jaden's back full time. He and Bree are going to continue to live together – at this point in their lives and their relationship, it really makes sense for them to stick with the same apartment – and since Jaden specifically chose a place close to the penthouse, it won't be hard for Bree to keep up with the others. Really, with her speed, all she needs is a text from the others and she'll get there ahead of them. As for Rani and Liam, it's hard to say. Little cameos, like Barry's in the last chapter, are usually in-the-moment decisions, so they can show up in the next chapter for all I know. Their first planned appearance will actually only be one of them at first, and it will be chapter 36. But yes, they are dating behind the scenes, but we'll go more into that when one of them shows up. About the talk show, as I said in the PM, I have no idea. The time travel episode is coming up, and honestly, I'm excited about it. It's one of those episodes that I've been planning since all the way back when I was doing the Days of Our Lives, though I do think that some people might be surprised by when the chapter is going to take place. We are definitely going to be seeing more of Mighty Med 2.0. – chapter 30, AKA Pandemic, will have an entire plot take place inside the hospital – as well as Jazz. She's going to be a recurring character, like Philip. LOL, I don't think Katy and Glitch are ever going to get along. Cats and dogs aren't usually the most friendly, except for my cat who seems to think that dogs are just a dumber, different breed of cat. Yes, in the original I was going to add more about the fight scenes, but as well on Skoliver and everything going on between Kaz and Oliver. Actually, it was supposed to have a lot more Kaz scenes, but I never had time to write them in. Anyway, thanks for the vote, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **SzymonS: Don't worry, you'll get to see Dani back in this chapter. As for whether or not this is all part of Dani's plan, I can't confirm or deny anything without spoiling my plans. Just read the chapter and I think you'll figure it out. Yeah, Oliver gave up and Kaz never stopped looking. Kaz is looking for her the way they'd look for any villain – by looking out for news reports on electrokinetics, keeping an eye out for Bridget, using his connections with the New League of Heroes, things like that. He is also interrogating villains he helps the New League of Heroes grab, yeah. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, it's time for the chapter!**

 **Dani: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns me, Calla, any other OCs present, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Skylar's POV**

I sat at the kitchen counter, sipping coffee alongside Calla and Jaden as I watched the living room, with almost a morbid-like intrigue. Nothing was happening. Nothing at all, and that was the problem. Kaz and Oliver were both sitting in the living room, the latter reading a book while the former did something on his tablet. Neither one of them were talking to each other, or had even acknowledged each other since they'd come downstairs this morning.

In fact, I hadn't heard them speak to each other since just after the mission a few days ago. I'd gotten the sense that something was up between the two of them, but this was just ridiculous. I could still remember a time, only a couple of years ago, where the two couldn't go an hour without talking to each other, regardless of whether or not they were fighting.

"C'mon." Calla jerked her head at the veranda. I followed her out, making sure to grab an apple for breakfast on our way out. Chase and Bree were already out there, both working on their tablets.

"Have they been fighting like this the entire time I was gone?" I questioned as soon as we were out of Oliver and Kaz's earshot.

"Who?" Chase questioned, looking up.

"Kaz and Oliver." Calla supplied before shrugging. "And not the whole time. I think it started a month or two after you went to Caldera?"

"About a month and a half." Bree corrected, not looking up from her work. I shook my head, upset; it was freaky to see them so angry with each other, and it was pretty obvious what had caused all this.

"What happened?" I asked, already having a good idea of what the answer would be.

"All leads on Bridget and Dani dried up. Oliver got tired of looking for them, and Kaz just couldn't accept it." Calla said simply. She grimaced sadly. "I was hoping they'd make up by now, but…"

"Maybe they need a push." I suggested, smirking a bit. Bree shook her head.

"Trust me, tried it. Didn't work." She commented. Jaden walked in and leaned on the back of her chair.

"Yeah…I think that's because you locked them in a closet and told them you weren't going to let them out until they made up." He commented. "And then Kaz burnt the door down and walked away before you could remember that it was a wooden door."

"Well, it's not like anyone else was doing anything." Bree shrugged in response. Suddenly, there was a knock on the glass behind us. Despite the fact that we could see him clearly, Oliver popped his head out from behind the window.

"Hey, when you guys are done not-so-secretly talking about us, there's a mission alert." He informed us before heading back in. We all exchanged guilty looks, busted looks before following suit.

 **Xxx**

"How does this even happen?" I demanded incredulously, staring at the massive, 20-foot wide-sinkhole in the middle of the street.

"Crappy construction?" Calla shrugged as we all edged closed to the hole. A sinkhole had formed about half an hour ago, with several cars dropping into it as the ground below gave way. Six cars were already inside, the drivers and their passengers trapped.

"Okay, it's possible that a gas line could have been under the road, so just in case, no powers except for flight." Chase instructed, handing out some masks to protect us from the gas. "And no weapons either. Any type of electrical or thermal charge, even static or the scraping of a trigger, could set off an explosion."

"We can handle traffic." Jaden offered, gesturing at himself, then at Kaz and Calla. Calla nodded.

"We do need to keep people away from here, or we'll be rescuing even more people." She agreed. "Jay, you get west, Kaz take east. I'll head down to where this road intersects with Edgewood Drive and keep people from coming in this direction."

"Good idea." Chase agreed. The three of them ran off to divert traffic as we turned back to the hole. "Go slowly; it's better to be safe than fast. Teams of two; start with those two." He pointed at a pair of cars near the far end. In the back windows, we could see a few young faces looking out at the hole. "Get the kids first, then the adults."

"Good idea." Oliver agreed. We slowly climbed into the sinkhole, careful when choosing where to place our feet. With the unstable nature of the sinkhole and the possibility of a spliced gas line, things could go really badly really fast if we did the wrong thing.

"Alright, here we go." I murmured as we reached the first car. I pushed past Oliver and climbed down near the first car. "You guys alright?" I asked, even as I forced the backdoor open. The woman inside nodded, giving me a grateful smile as I pulled her six-year-old daughter out. I quickly handed the little girl to Oliver. He got a better grip on her, then flew her out of the hole while I worked to get the mother out.

It was slow progress; we had to be extra careful, and since Oliver was the only one who could fly, the rest of us were forced to walk or carry the passengers out of the hole ourselves. An hour later, we were about halfway done as I carried a little boy, only four years old, up the side of the sinkhole. But then, just as I stepped on the edge of the sinkhole, the ground gave way beneath me.

"Shit!" I cursed as both the little boy and I started to fall. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out, one grabbing my arm and one reaching for the boy's waist.

"Whoa, there." A distinctly Irish voice cautioned as my favorite red-head helped me and the kid up. "You alright?"

"Geminus?" I was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and you looked like you could use a hand." She replied as I let go of the boy. He ran past us, into his mother's waiting arms. "Or, you know, a dozen hands."

She gestured to the sinkhole, where five of her duplicates were beginning to make their way down the sinkhole. I turned and grinned at her. "Good to see you."

"Right back at you." She laughed before she followed me into the hole.

 **Kaz's POV**

"So you seriously just happened to be in the area?" Oliver questioned, leaning back in his chair. Alivia shrugged, plucking an apple from the fruit bowl in the living room.

"I'm grabbing dinner with an old friend later, so I figured I'd drop by a few hours early and hang out." She replied. "I'm glad I did; you looked like you needed the help."

"It did save us a few hours of work." Chase admitted. "Thanks."

"No prob." She assured him, just as Calla's phone rang. She glanced at it and let out an annoyed sigh.

"This had better not be what I think it is." She muttered, getting up and walking out on to the veranda to take the call. The rest of us glanced at Chase, who merely shrugged in response.

"So, how's Lily?" I asked, curious. Alivia smiled.

"She's good. Great, actually. Uh, she's working on taking down one of Dr. Wrath's former henchmen in Montana, but when she gets back, I'm taking her out to this fancy restaurant a few blocks down from the base to celebrate our six month anniversary."

"You guys are cute together." Bree complimented. Alivia smiled.

"Thank you, Bree." She replied as Calla came back into the room, obviously upset. "What's wrong?"

"Another one." She answered, looking at Chase. He scowled, though the rest of us were left confused and in the dark.

"Another what?" Oliver asked. Calla threw her hands up in the air and dropped onto the couch next to Chase.

"There's been a series of break-ins at numerous Davenport Industries facilities and warehouses." She explained, frustrated. "It doesn't matter how much we beef up security, they keep getting in."

"Who's they and why are they breaking in? Are they stealing equipment?" Jaden questioned. Calla shook her head.

"I don't know. They keep managing to knock out the security cameras, even the ones on a back-up generator. But they're not stealing anything, at least nothing on our inventory list." Calla sighed. "I've gone over the inventory list and had my guys triple check. Nothing's missing."

"Maybe they're looking for something." Alivia commented. I glanced at her. "I mean, you don't keep all the same things at all your facilities, right? There's got to be something kept at only one of them."

"Yeah. A few of the facilities hold specific merchandise, but they've broken into eight of them in the last week and a half. I can't think of anything they'd want that bad." Calla muttered. "How are they getting past my security system? It's the best in the country."

"Want some help?" Oliver offered.

"With what? It's not like I know who we have to stop." Calla muttered.

"Yeah, but we can stake out your remaining facilities. Wait for them to show up then take them down." Skylar pointed out, nodding. "Set a trap for them."

"…There are two more facilities they haven't reached yet." Calla nodded, liking the idea. She glanced at Chase. "We can split up, hide in the facilities. When those little felons break in, we call for backup and take them down. I like it."

"Alright. Alivia, you in?" Chase looked at the red head. She smirked.

"Hell yeah." She agreed. He nodded.

"Okay, one of the facilities are in Iowa and the other is in Indiana. Jay, Bree, Alivia and I will take the one in Indiana; Calla, you take Oliver, Kaz, and Skylar to Iowa. If no one shows up in 24 hours, we come back here. Agreed?"

 **Chase's POV**

I glanced over my shoulder as I pulled on my mission suit jacket, aware that I was being watched. I sighed. "Okay, you're not happy about something. What is it?"

"It's not that I'm unhappy." Calla sighed, stepping into our bedroom. She grabbed my jacket and handed it to me before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm worried."

"Why? It's not like we're fighting Krane or Roddiseus again." I reminded her.

"Oliver and Kaz. Is it really a good idea to put them on a mission together?" She questioned. "Tell you what, I'll trade you Oliver for my brother."

"Bree was right earlier; they need a push. It's not a dangerous mission, so we can afford to take a little risk if it means they might get over this fight they're having." I assured her, pulling on the jacket. "If we're going to be a team again, they're going to need to learn to work together again."

"I suppose you're right." Calla nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "I just hope this works out the way you're hoping it does."

"It will." I promised, kissing her on the forehead. "Now, let's go catch your intruders."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Alright, the facility holds about 200 different types of Davenport Industries equipment, everything from weapons to less lethal inventions like prototype hydroloops." Calla explained, waving her hand vaguely as we walked through the facilities. Massive shelves of gadgets and gizmos filled the building. I shone my flashlight up at one of them, noting the Davenport Industries symbol.

"How do we know that they haven't already hit this place?" Oliver questioned. Calla glanced back at him.

"We don't, not for sure anyway. The last few breaks in didn't even trip the alarms; we wouldn't have realized that they'd been broken into if it weren't for some broken glass or equipment." Calla explained. "Which is why we're going to start by doing inventory. We make sure everything's here, and note where anything that the intruders might want are."

"Ugh, inventory?" That sounded boring.

"Yes, inventory." Calla insisted as we made it to an office near the back of the facility. She grabbed a couple of tablets off the desk inside, then handed one to Skylar and one to Oliver. "Skylar and I will take the west side of the facility, you two take the east."

"Uh…" I glanced at Oliver. "How about Oliver and Skylar take the east side, and I'll help you on the west."

"Nope." Calla popped the P, giving me and Oliver a smirk before leading Skylar down a nearby aisle, between two massive shelves full of heavy looking inventions.

 **xxx**

"Well, at least she let us take the advanced weaponry section." Oliver commented, going through the list on his tablet. I didn't answer, instead looking over the various weapons. I picked one up in my hand, testing the weight. I could feel Oliver's irritated stare focusing on my back. Choosing to ignore it, I put the weapon down and pulled out another one. "You know why Calla sent us down here alone, right?"

"She wants us to talk." I grumbled. Stupid, know-it-all Calla, always thinking that she should get involved.

"Well, maybe we should." Oliver retorted. "This whole you being mad at me thing is getting old."

"You're the one who gave up on her." I snapped, turning around. "You gave up!"

"She doesn't want to be found!" Oliver argued.

"And that means we should just give up?" I demanded. "Remember when Skylar was under the control of the Annihilator? You didn't give up on her, but we're just supposed to give up on Dani? On your own sister?"

"This is different." Oliver growled. "Dani's not being controlled; I think we both know that. She joined our mother of her own free will. She made that choice."

"That doesn't mean I have to accept it. And neither do you." I retorted.

"Look, Kaz, she left. Dani left." Oliver sighed. "I've been there; I spent months looking for my mother, even while we were dealing with Roddiseus and his kids. It's long and hard and exhausting and honestly, I'm tired of looking for family members who don't want to be found."

I looked away, frustrated. I knew he had a point, but I hated the thought of just letting Dani go. "She's her own person, Kaz. She can do what she wants." Oliver continued.

"But this can't be what she wants, Oliver. C'mon, you gotta realize that something's not right here." I insisted. "Dani would never join Bridget; she hates her."

"Well, my mother must have offered her something that was more important to her than her mommy issues." Oliver snapped. "And what does it matter now? She chose a side. It just didn't end up being ours."

"I can't give up on her." I told him. "And I don't think you should. We need to find her."

"…Okay, and say we do." Oliver threw him hands up. "What then?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, she's a villain now, so we can't just let her walk away, but are you really prepared to fight her?" Oliver asked, almost rhetorically. "I remember fighting Skylar when she was evil, and even though I knew she wasn't in control, it was horrible. I can't image how bad it'll be to fight my sister, knowing that she's doing it all of her own free will? I couldn't do that. Could you?"

To that, I didn't have a good answer. "We haven't seen Dani in eight months, and honestly, I think it's in everyone's best interests if we don't see her again."

"Oliver-" I started, but before I could finish, an alarm started to blare, the lights in the facility switching on, bathing us in an ominous red glow.

" _We've got company. Just spotted two people; I only saw them from behind, but there's one's male, about 6'3, and the other is a blonde-haired woman."_ Skylar announced over the comms.

" _I hit the alarm and called for backup. Chase and the others are on their way here as we speak."_ Calla added.

"Alright, split up and take them down." I ordered. Oliver looked at me and nodded in agreement. I glanced at him. "You get left, I get right?"

"Meet back here in twenty minutes if you can't find them." He added. I nodded and we separated, carefully stepping through the aisles.

 **Skylar's POV**

I slowly crept past a shelf full of large, prototype and spare capsules, peeking around the edge of the shelf. According to Calla's thermal sensors, there were eight people in the facility. Excluding me and the others, that meant four intruders that we had to fight/scare off.

I could hear the others' voices in my ear, keeping all of us up to date on what they were seeing. Calla was following a shadowy figure into the northern section of the facility – the experimental section, according to her – while Kaz and Oliver were trying to locate one of the intruders by the sounds of their footsteps, but none of us were getting anywhere close.

Suddenly, a series of loud bangs from behind me made me jump. Spinning around, I saw that three of the capsules had fallen, blocking the area behind me. Frowning, I couldn't understand how they fell on their own; Calla had them all in these special, square clamps to prevent them from rolling off the shelves.

"Skylar Storm." I spun around at the sound of my name, only to find a tall, square-jawed guy, dressed in black, smirking back at me.

"And you are?" I questioned defensively, curling my fists.

"The name's Sebastian. I'm surprised Chase hasn't mentioned me." He commented, seemingly mildly offended.

"Oh, he has." I assured him. He smirked, pleased. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, looking around aimlessly got a little boring, and since you're here, I figured why not save myself the time?" He smiled charmingly. "So, you wanna help me find what I'm looking for?"

"Well, that depends. If you're looking for an ass-kicking, I'm happy to help." I replied, creating energy balls around my hands.

"Yeah, in your dreams." Sebastian retorted, raising one hand. A bo staff, glowing red, formed in his hand. He spun it around once, showing off, before settling into a fighting stance. "So, I'm going to ask you once, just once; where's the real Arcturion?"

That caught me off guard. "What?" I questioned, dropping my guard for a moment. Sebastian took advance, charging at me instantly, spinning his bo staff. I dropped back a step, hoping to avoid it, but only succeeded in allowing him to trap me against the wall of capsules behind. He held the bo staff to my neck, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean, where's the Arcturion? You have the Arcturion."

"Please." He scoffed. "Like we wouldn't figure it out."

"Figure what out?" I was completely bewildered.

"That you switched the real one out for a fake. A good fake, I admit – I'm guessing Calla and Chase are behind that one – but a fake nonetheless. Where's the real one?"

I didn't answer – really, what could I say to that – but dropped to my knees, spinning around at the last second, one leg extended. I caught him in the ankles, knocking him over, before leaping back to my feet. Before he could properly recover from my kick, I sent a ball of energy directly at him. He deflected it, however, using his bo staff. The ball of energy was sent flying into the capsules behind me, the blast being absorbed by the special glass.

He spun around, twirling his bo staff before throwing it at me. I ducked as it spun past my head before returning to Sebastian's waiting hand, like a very large, glowing boomerang. He started to throw it again, but suddenly stopped at the last minute, something getting his attention. "Understood." He said, reaching up to tap what I figured must be an earpiece. He smirked. "Sorry, Miss Alien, but I gotta go."

"Not gonna happen." I growled, before sending another blast of energy his way. He deflected it again, swinging his bo staff at me. I dodged it before aiming a punch towards his face, wanting to wipe that cocky little smirk away. He dodged it, ducking down to throw a punch of his own towards my gut. I blocked it, then spun around to aim a kick towards the back of his head. He dodged it, then quickly slammed his bo staff into my stomach, using it to throw me backwards, into the capsules.

"Skylar!" I snapped my head to the side, hearing Bree's voice. Well, about time they got here. I turned around to face Sebastian once more, but by time I did, he was nowhere to be seen. I pushed myself to my feet, moving forward to see if he was just waiting behind a corner, preparing some sort of surprise attack, but he was gone. "Hey!" Bree sped up beside me, looking around. "Where are the bad guys?"

 **Kaz's POV**

" _Guys, they're getting away!"_ Alivia's voice called over the comms. _"Stop them before they get out of here."_

I didn't need to be told twice; I was already in pursuit of one of them: the blonde-haired girl. "Hey, stop!" I shouted, chasing after her. She didn't reply or slow down, instead forcing herself to run faster, leaping over a fallen bionic capsule without the slightest hesitation. "Stop!" I shouted again, flying over the capsule.

When it became clear that she wasn't going to stop on her own, I created a fireball in my hand. Aiming several feet in front of her, I threw it at the ground, then increased the height of the flames. She skidded to a stop as the fireball quickly turned into a wall of fire, the flames reaching four feet high. She bounced on her feet, about to try something, when I spoke again. "Stop. Dani, just stop."

She froze, then slowly turned around to face me. It was Dani alright, but she'd changed so much over the past few months. Her hair, once short and dyed auburn, was shoulder length and the same shade of blonde as her mother. Instead of a mission suit, she wore dark colored pants, a black jacket with gold arrows running vertically down the arms, and a dark blue V-neck. Just below her neckline, I could see five words - _patria est ubi cor est_ – tattooed onto her skin in curly, black letters. It wasn't the only tattoo either; the infinity symbol that appeared to be a favorite of Mr. Terror's minions was etched into the inside of her right wrist.

She looked me up and down, still bouncing on the balls of her feet, clearly wanting to run. "You stop dyeing your hair." I observed. She shrugged.

"Mom didn't like the color I had it." She said by way of explanation, looking around, probably trying to find an escape route.

"Since when do you care what your mother wants?" I questioned. She didn't answer. "Dani, c'mon. Just come back. Come home."

"Can't do that. Sorry." She replied.

"Why not?" I demanded.

"It's complicated." She insisted.

"Not really. All you have to do is come with me." I argued. She shook her head.

"Look, I have to do what I think is right." She told me, dead serious. She gave me a look. "And you need to stop trying to find me. I know you've been looking; stop it."

"Well, that's something I can't do." I retorted. Dani looked at me, exasperated.

"Why can't you just let me go?" She pleaded. I looked at her.

"You really don't know?" I questioned. She frowned. "Because damn it, Dani, I'm in love with you."

She turned around quickly, clearly surprised. She raised her head, staring into the flames, and then, after a long moment, she replied. "…Well, I-I don't love with you." She lied.

She was lying. I could hear the shakiness in her voice, the way her tone lacked any conviction. It was like she was forcing herself to say the words, like some sort of script. There was no way she could possibly believe what she was saying, so why was she lying?

She took a deep, shaky breath. "Goodbye Kaz." She murmured before flying into the air, soaring past the wall of flames and out of my line of view.

 **Skylar's POV**

"So, wait." Calla frowned, confused. "He said that we switched out the real Arcturion for a fake?"

"Yeah." I nodded. We were back at the Penthouse, Sebastian, Dani, and the others having escaped. No one was hurt, thankfully, but we were all left with a lot of questions. "I mean, we didn't do that, right?"

"Not that I know of." Chase commented. "And, according to the records, Facility X was only accessed twice over the past two years – once when the Arcturion was first brought there, and then again when Mr. Terror stole it."

"Do you think he was lying?" Alivia asked, frowning in confusion.

"Why would he?" Jaden offered. "I mean, what would they gain by lying about having a fake Arcturion?"

"And besides, it does kinda make sense. My mom wanted the Arcturion for its power. If she got a fake, it would explain why she went back into hiding." Oliver added, thinking hard.

"But that begs the question, where's the real Arcturion?" Bree questioned. We all exchanged looks, knowing that this could potentially be very bad. I mean, it was a good thing that Bridget didn't seem to have it, but losing something as powerful as the Arcturion? In the wrong hands, that could potentially lead to catastrophic disaster.

"I'm going to check with Douglas and Leo, see if maybe the real Arcturion got shipped off to another facility by mistake." Calla decided, getting up to make a couple of calls. Alivia stood up as well.

"I should go." She announced. She glanced at her watch. "I have to go meet my friend."

"Hey, thanks for helping out." Bree commented. I nodded.

"This morning and with the stakeout." I added. She nodded, smiling.

"Anytime. Oh, and I'll get my people to keep an eye out for the Arcturion." She added.

"Good idea." Oliver nodded. "Tell Lily, Barry, Alan, and Liam we said hi."

"Of course." Alivia started on her way out, then stopped next to Kaz's seat. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you going to be okay?"

He'd been quiet ever since we left the facility, only briefly mentioning that Dani had been there and not saying anything else. Everyone was kinda worried about him, even Oliver, but didn't really know what to do. "Yeah, fine." He waved her off. Alivia gave him a sad smile, almost looking apologetic, before nodding.

"Call me if you need anything." She told him. She glanced back at the rest of us. "Any of you."

"See you around, Liv." I said to her as she headed out the door. I glanced at Kaz, who still seemed pretty deep in thought, then sighed and headed for the kitchen. It was late; maybe some food would put everyone in a better mood.

"I'll talk to him." Oliver murmured to me, following me into the kitchen. I looked at him, a little surprised. He shrugged. "We may be fighting, but he IS my best friend."

I smiled, nodding, then grabbed a frozen lasagna out of the freezer. At least, even when things go to hell, that didn't change.

 **Alivia's POV**

I glanced at my watch, tapping my foot impatiently. We'd agreed to meet up at 8:00. It was 8:04.

I sighed impatiently, looking around the badly-lit room. The abandoned building wasn't the greatest place to meet up, but after the NLH bought it to use as a secondary base, should the League ever grow big enough to require one, it seemed like a safe spot. Still, she was late. And she was never late.

I started, suddenly hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. Tensing up in case it wasn't who I was hoping to see, I glanced out the door into the dark hallway. Upon realizing who it was, I relaxed. "You're late." I commented. She stopped and looked at me, eyes ablaze.

"I hate you." Dani declared, wholeheartedly. "I hate you and your terrible plan and you're a terrible friend and did I mention I hate you?"

"A few times, yeah." I nodded, giving her a soft smile. She glared at me, pissed. "So, you get the stuff?"

"Yup." She popped the P angrily before handing me the flash drive. "All of my mother's contacts and minions in the US. Their locations, their contact information…everything you need to take them out."

"Thanks." I pocketed the flash drive, then gave her a sympathetic look. "I know it couldn't have been easy to get me this copy."

"You have no idea." She murmured, sounding exhausted. "Sebastian's constantly hanging around, flirting with me; it's nearly impossible to sneak away. And Lexi's getting into enough trouble, and Kaz…" She cut herself off, letting out a ragged breath.

"How bad was it?" I murmured gently. She dropped her face into her hand, quickly wiping away any moisture that may have accumulated in her eyes.

"He said he was in love with me." She whispered, her tone one of pain and disbelief. She looked at me in the eye, eyes glassy. "He said he was in love with me and I had to pretend that I didn't care. That I don't feel the same way."

I sighed, lowering my eyes. We'd both known that this wouldn't be easy, but I'd underestimated how hard this would be for Dani. "I'm sorry."

"No, I…I don't hate you. And I know, we both agreed that the only way we could take my mother out was to get someone on the inside, it's just…" She bit her lip, looking upwards. "They're never going to forgive me for this. Especially not Kaz."

"I'm sorry." I repeated myself. She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late to back out. Has been for a while." She insisted. She looked at me. "What do you want me to do now?"

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Well, um…try not to kill me for the Kaz thing. I do feel bad for him though…anyway, review! Seriously, I just unleashed one of the biggest twists of the season, and I want to know what you guys thought. Oh, and just to clarify, because I'm pretty sure at least 3 people will ask me this in a review, yes, that last scene is related to the secret conversation that Alivia and Dani had at the end of Days of Our Lives. Oh, and before I forget, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **September 16** **th** **: Bionics VS Superpowers**

 **September 24** **th** **: The Second Time Around**

 **October 1** **st** **: Pandemic**

 **Kihonne: Anyway guys, I'll see you guys all on Saturday! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	28. The Second Time Around

**Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm back. Sorry that it's been a while since the last chapter, especially since this was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I didn't want to rush through this one. Anyway, I'm back with the chapter, but it's shoutout time first.**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: You weren't the only one. Try as I might, it's impossible to surprise every single one of you. You're all just too smart. I'm glad you liked how I did it though, especially the last scene. I had a few different versions of it written, as I do with a lot of the more important scenes, but that was my favorite version by far. I feel bad for both of them actually; I mean, on one hand, it's got to be terrible, hurting that much and not knowing why Dani is doing what she's doing, but on the other, knowing everything and still not being able to change anything (not without making all those months of heartbreak for nothing, at least), has got to be a special kind of agony. And yes, blonde Dani. You're right about Skylar – I actually wrote a number of scenes from Broken Hearts before working on Mother May I (some scenes just won't leave you alone until you put it on paper) and since I didn't plan to have Skylar fight Sebastian until the last minute, I forgot to alter the new chapter. Thanks for pointing it out.**

 **I admit that I forgot she was there, fighting Sebastian, right before Dani left. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm glad you liked it, and thank you for being so polite (seriously, no one says please and thank you anymore). I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: You were. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, a lot of people guessed that Dani was going under cover. I tried to keep it a surprise, but damn you guys are smarter than I give you credit for. As for the Arcturion, no, you aren't forgetting a part. The switch happened behind the scenes. And yes, poor, poor Kaz. He and Oliver fighting, and then that thing with Dani…I almost feel bad for doing that to him. Almost. Based on your comment, I think you might be on the right track, as there are definitely going to be plenty of feels in this chapter, but if your guess was off, I'm curious to where you originally thought was going on. That being said, not all the feels will be sad; I've got a little surprise at the end that I think people are going to enjoy (and hopefully not guess ahead of time). As for what the hell I'm doing in my crazy, fictional world, while you're welcome to come up with theories (those are always interesting to hear), I will have a full explanation in a few chapters to clear up any and all confusion revolving around Dani and Alivia's secret.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you like this one too!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you enjoyed it, especially the Dani twist. I feel bad for Kaz too – I'm so mean to him, aren't I? I'm really glad you liked Dani's tattoo as well. I wanted to give her something like that, like a permanent reminder for her about where her true loyalties lie, but coming up with something that didn't have an obvious meaning (if Bridget saw it, she wouldn't think that Dani was really loyal to the EF) and that would translate well in Google translate, since I figured at least some readers would use the website to figure out what it meant, wasn't easy. Um, to answer your question, yes and no. Some of them have superhero nicknames, but the others don't. I didn't really see it as a necessity – the lab rats and co. aren't likely to ever need them, since they're already pretty famous. But the nicknames I do have are Matchhead for Kaz, Cryos for Oliver, Short Circuit for Dani, and Cerebra for Calla. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Lyla347: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the twist with Dani. Seriously, thanks. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I didn't think Dani talked about it too much – just enough to hint that there might be more than meets the eye. As for whether or not the team will forgive her, everyone's going to have a different reaction. Some of them will be quick to forgive, others will take longer. Yes, poor Kaz. I'm so mean to him! And yes, I made a mistake with Skylar. What happened was, I sometimes right scenes (and occasionally chapters) out of order. Certain scenes, like the conversation between Skylar and Sebastian, were written months in advance, and usually just get added to whatever else I write. Since I hadn't originally planned on having Skylar fight Sebastian in Mother May I, I forgot to alter the last chapter. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! Like I said, I do want to try to include Jordan again. The moment I can figure out a good reason for why she would be around, she'll have a guest appearance. And no, it wasn't silly – I was honestly surprised that no one else had asked that. As for Calla and Chase, no, they won't. Quite the opposite, actually. My plan is for the rest of the team to eventually move out – in fact, in the original version of Reunion, there was a scene where Chase tried to convince Kaz to get a place of his own. The penthouse just seems right for Calla, Chase, and, sometime in the future, their kids. I'm glad you're excited for their appearances. And yes, the time travel episode is the next one. I'm personally very excited for it – partially because I've been working on it for a very long, but also because it's going to be one of the most intense and emotional chapters I've worked on in a long time. And yeah, Dani really screwed their relationship up. But getting it out in the air like that helped, and they'll eventually go back to the way they used to be, it'll just take a while. Poor Kaz, that poor boy just can't catch a break, can he? I'm glad you liked the twist with Dani though. I thought people would find it interesting. And it is nice to find out what happened in Days of Our Lives, though I do intend on going into more depth about the exact details of that conversation. If it helps, I miss Jaime too. Yes, I screw up with the Sebastian/Skylar scene – I'd written the scene a while ago, before I'd written Mother May I. Yes, it was Alivia and Dani who switched out the Arcturion for a fake. As for who knows about Dani's secret mission…well, by the end of this chapter, only five living people will be aware of her being undercover. Three of those five will be obvious, the other two will be announced at a later point. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Cyborggirl 26: Right and wrong isn't as simple as the media portrays it to be, and Dani's situation is a good example of this. Sure, betraying her team wasn't right, but doing everything in her power to stop a dangerous criminal? That's not wrong either. A lot of what she's doing is morally grey, but to be completely honest, that's very much Dani's MO; her character is and always has been chaotically good. That being said, there will be consequences for what she's done, both good and bad, and Dani is aware of that. As for Kaz, it's not that he's not upset with her, and when he finds out the truth, believe me, he will angry, but right now, he's just focusing on the fact that the girl he loves is doing something stupid for no apparent reason.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, without any further delay…**

 **Kaz: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns her OCs, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

Have you ever had an idea where you know it's a really, incredibly terrible idea, but at the same time it's the only one you've got? Yeah, that pretty much summarized the situation I just found myself in.

I ducked around a corner, hoping that I wouldn't be caught. Security guards were everywhere – with the recent break-ins, the security had been amped up to the max – but so far, I'd managed to avoid detection. Peering around the corner, I watched as a security guard walked past the room I was trying to get into. I let out a sigh of relief when he didn't stay, smirking a little as he moved onto another hall. Glancing up at the security camera to make sure that it was still off, I quickly slipped into the room labelled 'Danger. Do Not Enter'.

I chuckled at the door sign – Calla was always so dramatic – then turned my attention to the room. It was a large lab, with various machines and computers, the Davenport Industries symbol posted on the far wall. What I came for was lying in the center of the room – a large car seat, pulled from a damaged go kart, with several small canisters attached to the back of it. Nearby, sitting on top of a metal table, was a circular device, similar to one of our tablets.

I picked up the flat, circular device, turning it over in my hands as I remembered what Calla had told us.

 **Flashback**

" _So, check it out." Calla grinned proudly, leading the team into the small room. She stopped next to a chair with metal canisters attached to the back. "Ta-da!"_

 _Bree and Chase grinned, but the rest of us just stared at it in confusion. "…That's a nice looking chair, Calla." Skylar commented, trying to be positive. The genius frowned, a tiny bit annoyed._

" _It's not just a chair! It's my time machine." She insisted, offended._

" _THAT'S your time machine?" Oliver questioned, skeptically. She pouted._

" _Look, I know it's not the most attractive chair in the world, but it's a freaking time machine!" She argued. "I mean, who cares what it looks like so long as it works?"_

" _She has a point." Chase pointed out. "Not to mention, this looks just like the time machine that Leo used that one time. Remember?"_

" _Wait…isn't that that time where you texted Mom about the world imploding unless you skip school?" Jaden questioned, glancing at Calla. She smirked sheepishly._

" _More or less." She admitted. "Leo came back from the year…2019?" She glanced at the Davenport siblings, who nodded. "Yeah, 2019 because he needed to save these two and Adam from getting themselves killed."_

" _So you built the time machine a year early?" Oliver asked. She nodded, beaming._

" _Yup." She popped the P, very proud of herself._

" _So…how's it work?" I asked, looking at it. Calla swiped a flat, circular object off the table. Despite ourselves, Oliver and I shared a glance; that was the same device that future me had used that time he came back in time at Mighty Med._

" _Well, this is how you control where you go." She began._

" _Let me guess, you just put in the date and time and hit the go button?" Jaden guessed._

" _No." Calla shook her head. "I wrote the algorithm a little differently than that. I mean, what if I wanted to go back to a specific event, like…Julius Caesar's assassination, but we don't have the specific date? Then I'm screwed. Instead, I've designed the algorithm so that you verbally tell the device what event you want to go to, then it connects with the Zeta fuel, finds the exact date and place, and sends you to an hour before." She explained. "It'll also let you know if you've done anything to interfere with that event by sending you a message, so if you screw up, you can fix it before it's too late"_

" _That's smart." Bree commented. "That way we won't accidently screw up time."_

" _Exactly. I've seen that CW show enough to know that time travel isn't something to screw around with." Calla nodded. "Anyway, then, when you want to come back, all you do is tell it to bring you back home and it'll bring you back to the machine's last location."_

 **Flashback Over**

I frowned to myself, looking down at the device in my hands. It had been two years since I'd last seen this device; it had been in my own hands, but, at the same time, the hands of a stranger. I'd gone back in time to stop Oliver from turning evil, and ever since Calla had announced that she was close to finishing her time machine, I'd been wondering: if I could save Oliver from himself, why couldn't I save Dani? At the very least, it was worth the try.

"I want to stop Dani from turning evil." I declared, talking to the device. To my surprise, nothing happened. I frowned; maybe it wasn't on? "Take me back so I can stop Dani from joining her mother."

It worked that time, the screen lighting up and a seemingly random stream of numbers and letters sliding onto the screen: 2635CSA-P-P-.16. I had no idea what any of those meant, but Calla was rarely wrong when it came to her algorithms, so I decided to go with it. What was the worst thing that could happen?

I carefully pressed the circle into its spot on the front of the chair, then sat down and strapped myself in. Then, I took a deep breath. I knew this was stupid and that if and when Calla found out, she would murder me for using her tech without permission. And yeah, I knew this was a longshot, but I didn't have another choice. I HAD to stop her, no matter what.

I looked down at the control panel in front of me. Calla had made it extremely simple, only placing three buttons on it: a blue one, a red one, and a green one, all with labels underneath that read 'canister release', 'do not touch Kaz, AJ, and/or Leo' and 'Go' respectively. I eyed the red button suspiciously, a part of me offended that she'd think I'd touch it. But then again, I DID sneak in here to use the machine without permission, so maybe she was smart to be specific in that label.

After another brief moment of hesitation, I slammed my fist down on the green button. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, a fierce gust of wind, and I felt like I was spinning. It only lasted for a brief, confusing moment. Then I found myself staring at the wall of a storage closet. Figures. Climbing out of the chair, I stumbled over a pile of toilet paper rolls as I made my way to the door.

I stopped short when I opened it. I don't know what I was expecting – I really wasn't expecting anything in particular – but this was the last thing I would have guessed was behind the door.

I looked around it shock, taking in the clean, beige and white walls, the tiled floor and the light blue doors. On either side of the storage closet door, posters had been hung up, promoting healthy eating and all that. To my left, a nurse wearing a deep purple set of scrubs was going through a cabinet, finally deciding on a vial of glowing green liquid before closing it. As he stepped away, I could see another posted behind the door, this one reading: Mighty Med Volunteer Program with details underneath.

This wasn't any hospital, nor was it even Mighty Med 2.0. Realization dawned on me, even as Jaime LePera, dressed in her gold and black superhero uniform, passed me by.

"Hey Kaz." She smiled at me brightly, walking up to me. I just stared at her, at a loss for words. "Oliver said he needed my help with some sort of mission, but he's not in the rec room. You know where he is?"

I gulped, still unable to say anything. God, Jaime…I hadn't seen her since…well, not for a very long time. Her death had been hard for all of us, not just Alivia, and having her stand in front of me was just…wow. "Kaz?" She questioned, frowning. Still not able to think of anything to say, I just pointed in a random direction. She smiled gratefully and started heading down that hall, in search of her friend.

"…Holy…" I muttered, watching her go.

What the hell was going on? How did I end up here, in the original Mighty Med?

I'd come back to stop Dani from turning evil. But she couldn't have turned to the dark side this long ago. I mean, yeah, we'd suspected that Bridget had been in Dani's ear for a while – she wouldn't have just turned on us overnight, especially not for her mother – but Dani couldn't have possibly turned evil this far back. I didn't know the date, not yet, but I figured, for me to be standing in the original Mighty Med, this had to be at least two, two and a half years ago. She couldn't have been playing us for this long…could she have?

 **Xxx**

After quickly hiding the time machine away in the storage closet – that would be hard to explain to anyone – I started looking around the hospital, trying to either find Dani or figure out what day this was.

"Benny!" I called, catching sight of the nurse. He stopped and turned to face me, carrying a laptop. "Hey, man. What're you doing?"

"Horace wanted me to go over news reports and see if there's been any mention of Mr. Terror." He explained. "He said it was for Oliver and Dani."

I frowned, remembering the last conversation I'd had with Benny. "What's the date?"

"Tuesday." He replied. I shook my head. "Oh, the 23rd."

"Of February?" I questioned. He nodded, albeit a little confused as to why I didn't know the month.

Crap. No, correction: mega crap. February 23rd, 2016. That was the day that Roddiseus and his children destroyed Mighty Med. In a few, too short hours, this hospital would be a smoldering crater, and everyone inside would be dead.

"Did you need anything else?" Benny questioned, a little impatiently. I took a moment to regain my composure, then nodded.

"Yeah, actually. I need a favor." I told him, fumbling for my wallet. I handed him a handful of 20$ bills. "Uh, for the party; I ordered a cake."

"Alan ordered a cake a couple of weeks ago." He pointed out, frowning. Cursing under my breath, I faked a smile.

"I ordered a second one. The guy at the bakery – Luigi's – said it would be ready by 7:45. I need you to pick it up for me." I lied. He looked at me.

"I'm not your errand boy, Kaz." He refused, handing the money back to me. I refused to take it, instead handing him even more.

"Here's a hundred bucks." I offered him. He considered it for a moment, then smirked and took the money.

"Happy to do business with you." He declared. He started off towards one of the offices so he could do his work for Horace. I watched him go, thinking fast. We didn't know the exact time that Mighty Med had been attacked, but Dani, Oliver, Skylar and I had left the hospital at 7:30, and by time we got back, a little after 8:30, the place had been in ruins. Considering that it was about a half hour drive to Luigi's, without traffic, Benny would probably, hopefully, get back too late to be caught up in all that chaos. Hopefully, he'd survive.

Calla's machine took me back to the wrong day. It had to – Dani couldn't have turned evil this early. Why the machine brought me to this day, I didn't know, but I was going to make the most of it. Saving Benny's life was easy – I just had to get him out of here. If I could warn the others, tell Horace what was coming, maybe they'd have a chance. Maybe I could stop all of it.

I knew I wasn't supposed to screw with time, that it could have dangerous consequences, but…I couldn't think of anything worse than Mighty Med's destruction. That had to be the worst case scenario – if there was something worse, I couldn't fathom what it could possibly be. And really, so long as I didn't tell anybody I was from the future, what was the harm?

And besides, when my future-self time travelled, I didn't screw things up that badly, so how much damage could I possibly do?

 **Xxx**

"Seriously, Horace, this party is a bad idea." I insisted, following the doctor around as he instructed the decorators and the party planners.

"Because these villains are going to attack?" He questioned, half-listening to me. "Kaz, please. There isn't a villain out there that could destroy Mighty Med in the way you described. Bridget is the only one powerful enough, and believe me, we're keeping our eye out for her."

"Yeah, no one villain is powerful enough. That's why thirteen of them are going to attack." I insisted. Horace stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

"You said that, but how do you know that this is going to happen?" He questioned. I hesitated and he cocked an eyebrow, waiting.

"They threatened to." I lied. "After we had to take Roddiseus' powers, Roman and Riker both threatened to take out their rage on the hospital. They said they'd destroy all of us for what we did. Because we cursed their father with a 'fate worse than death'." I used air quotes, hoping that what I said would be enough.

It wasn't.

"Roman and Riker were both probably exaggerating." Horace assured me.

"They weren't." I insisted.

"Kaz, they were upset, but they aren't going to hurt anyone. Roddiseus is one of our most capable heroes, and his children are all training in his image. Roman and Riker may be the only ones that are sidekicks, but one day, they'll be an entire team of incredibly powerful heroes." He told me, serious. "The League of Heroes is already looking at promoting Roman. Making accusations like this against him and his brothers and sisters is a very dangerous thing to do, especially without proof."

"But it's true." I needed him to believe me, for the sake of everyone else here.

"Kaz, I understand. You're on edge for an attack; after everything that's happened with Bridget, it's understandable." Horace reassured me. I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "Look, Kaz, it's a party. Take the night, relax, and then tomorrow, if you're still concerned about how they might react, I will bring it up to the League about keeping an eye on them."

"But that's not…" I stopped myself this time, as the doors to Mighty Med opened up. Jaime, Liam, and Oliver all walked in, back from, if I remember correctly, our failed mission to find Bridget. Dani, Oliver, and my past self were right behind them, surely. I had to get out of here before…

Too late. Jaime spotted me, eyes widening in surprise, before she looked over her should to confirm that my past self was still behind her. "Okay. Gotta go." I mumbled to Horace before bolting from the room, hoping to get out of there before I got busted for real.

I made it as far as the rec room, but then, suddenly, a heavy weight slammed into me from behind, throwing me against the nearest wall. Before I could react, the same person who shoved me spun me around, then pinned me back against the wall, her forearm pressed against my chest. "Who are you?" Jaime demanded, one hand holding a ball of electricity. I gulped nervously, eyeing the electricity ball warily.

"Kaz." I answered. "I'm Kaz."

"No, because I was just with Kaz. I've been with Kaz for the past couple of hours, and I know he's the real one, so who…are…you?" She ground out the last few words, adding emphasis by increasing the pressure she was putting on my chest.

"I am Kaz." I insisted. She narrowed her eyes, not believing me for a second. So, I decided to throw out my rules for the whole time travelling thing. "I'm just not your Kaz."

She wasn't expecting that answer, her grip loosening for a brief moment before intensifying again. "What do you mean, not my Kaz?"

I laughed a little, nervous. "Uh, remember that time that my future self, from 25 years in the future, showed up to stop Oliver from turning evil?" I questioned. She looked at me. "Yeah, similar situation."

"Are you serious?" She questioned. I nodded and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Are you really that surprised?" I questioned. She considered it, then stepped back, letting me go.

"Not at all, to be honest; I've heard crazier, usually from you." She admitted. She frowned, looking me up and down. "How far in the future?"

"Almost three years." I replied. She nodded, thoughtfully.

"So, how'd you come back? That scientist friend your other future-self mention? Uh, Kayla?"

"Calla." I corrected. "And yeah, I borrowed her time machine."

"Borrowed?" She questioned skeptically.

"I may not have directly gotten her permission. But don't worry, she's cool; she won't mind." I told her. Jaime raised an eyebrow.

"She's going to kill you when she finds out, right?" She guessed.

"Almost definitely, yeah." I agreed. Jaime nodded.

"Then why'd you come back? There must have been a reason." She commented. She looked at me. "Unless you just did it for fun. I honestly wouldn't put that past you."

"Neither would I." I admitted. I took a deep breath. "Look, you remember why my other future-self came back last time?"

"You needed to stop Oliver from turning evil…don't tell me he's actually evil now." She demanded. "Because of his mom?"

"Actually, it's Dani's turn. She went dark side." I explained. She gave me a sympathetic smile, the same sympathetic smile Calla, Chase, Bree, and Skylar had been giving me for months. God, I was sick of those smiles. I didn't want anyone's sympathy; I wanted their help to stop her. At least with Oliver, he wasn't giving me those pathetic looks.

"Look, I took the time machine to try and stop her from joining her mother, but something must have gone wrong because it brought me to the wrong date." I told her. "But we have bigger problems. Much bigger."

Jaime crossed her arms, intrigued. "What's wrong?"

Before I could answer, the sound of footsteps coming our way caught our attention. "Hide!" I hissed. Jaime and I ducked behind the storage cabinet, giving us the perfect hiding spot; we couldn't be seen, but we could see the entrance and sitting area of the rec room just fine.

"So, how are things?" A familiar, Irish-accented voice asked as the doors to the rec room opened up. Alivia hobbled in on crutches, her leg still in a cast from her fight against Bridget. Dani followed her in, a curious look on her face. "And I mean it, Dani." Alivia added, slowly sitting down on the couch, stretching her injured leg out. "The truth, no BS."

"We're okay." Dani replied, taking a seat across from her. I craned my neck, trying to get a better look at her. This was Dani, the real Dani, _my_ Dani. Dani, with the bright green eyes and her cute short hair, dyed her favorite shade of auburn. The Dani that existed before Bridget came back, before she killed Roddiseus, before all the horribleness happened. My Dani.

"Did I not just ask for the truth?" Alivia questioned, her tone expectant. Dani rolled her eyes, brushing her hair from her face.

"It _is_ the truth." She insisted. "Do things suck right now? Yeah, they do, a lot. And does it hurt? Yeah, but Ollie and I…we aren't just going to break. We've got you and Kaz and Skylar and everyone else to make sure we don't. Nothing's particularly great with us right now, but we are okay. And you guys need to realize that."

I looked back at Jaime. This sounded like a really personal conversation, one that maybe they wouldn't appreciate us hearing. But there was no escape, for either of us; we were stuck here until they decided to take their conversation elsewhere.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, mentally, before…" Alivia trailed off, obviously choosing her words carefully. "Dani, I've got a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, just name it." I smiled at Dani's words; back then, she was the loyalist friend you knew.

"Don't agree so quickly." Alivia told her, serious. "Because you're not going to like what I'm going to propose, but I need you to do it for me."

I frowned and exchanged looks with Jaime. Judging by her expression, she didn't know much about this either. "What's going on, Liv?"

I heard Alivia sigh. "The League of Heroes is…they're concerned about how powerful Mr. Terror is. They don't think that going at her head on would be in their best interest."

"No, duh. She's crazy powerful right now." Dani agreed. She looked at Alivia. "Do they have another strategy?"

"Yeah, they do." Alivia agreed. She raised her head. "You."

Dani frowned, confused. "Me?" Alivia nodded. "Me what?"

"They think that the best way to take her down is from the inside. Systematically destroy her followers from the inside, then use information gathered to devise a stronger strategy." She explained. Dani nodded, brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what that had to do with her. "They want you to be their inside man. Well, inside woman."

"Me? Why me?" Dani questioned quickly. My mind was already racing, putting the pieces together. Oh, you've got to be kidding me!

"Because you're her daughter; she trusts you. And you're a pretty good liar, and you've got what it takes to pull it off." Alivia reasoned. Dani stared at her.

"No." She murmured. Alivia nodded eagerly.

"Yes, you do. Dani, between your powers and your manipulative-" Dani shook her head, cutting her off.

"I mean, no, I won't do it." She refused. Alivia sighed.

"Dani…" She began.

"No. Putting her behind bars is one thing, but playing her, pretending to be something I'm not just so I can stab her in the back? No. I won't do it. Find someone else." She argued.

"There is no one else." Alivia insisted. Dani shook her head.

"Ollie-" She began.

"Oliver can't do this, not the way you can. He's more emotional than you, more of a risk. You're better at keeping a lid on it. You're the one who will do anything to make sure what we need to happen comes to pass. And let's face it: Oliver's a crap liar."

"I won't go behind her back. If I fight my mother, I do it on an even playing field. I'm not the kind of manipulative, sneaky person you're looking for." She insisted.

"But you are. Or you can be." Alivia assured her. Dani looked at her, offended. "It's true, Dani. We both know that when you want to be, when you _need_ to be, you can be as cold as ice. And we need that."

"Wow, thanks, pal." Dani snapped, hurt. Alivia sighed.

"Look, I know you don't like this. And I admit, lying to her and the others is going to be difficult, but we need you to take one for the team." She pleaded with her. The short hair girl paused.

"The others? Like Kaz and Ollie?" She questioned sharply. Alivia sighed.

"Like I said, Oliver's a crap liar. The only way this is going to work is if no one knows. That way, they can't accidently give you up, and when you join Bridget, she won't think that you're still connected to them; she won't be able to use them against you in case she finds out."

"So, I'd have to lie to everyone I care about. Yeah, no. Not going to happen." Dani declared, standing up. Clearly, she was upset. 'I can't believe you'd ask me to do this, Liv."

"You can't?" Alivia demanded. "Look, I figured you would say no, but you really can't see it? Dani, your mother is a monster, a murderer." Dani flinched at her words. "I'm sorry, but it's true. And she's going to keep on hurting people unless we stop her. I actually don't understand how you can choose not to help, knowing that your refusal pretty much guarantees her freedom!"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" Dani accused. "Look, my mother has got her problems, I'm not denying that. And does she deserve to be behind bars? Yes. But everything she did was for us, so she is not a monster. And don't you dare act all high and mighty when you're asking, no, demanding, that I do something that goes against everything I believe in." Alivia opened her mouth to respond, but Dani never gave her the chance. "Oliver and Kaz are the two most important people in my life, and I won't lie or betray them. Not while there's still a League full of heroes that can deal with my mother. And that's final."

She spun on her heel and stormed towards the door. Alivia pushed herself to her feet, immediately reaching for her crutches to regain her balance. "Don't be a coward, Dani!"

Dani stopped at the door and sent Alivia an angry glare. "Screw you, Geminus."

She pushed the doors open and stalked out of the room presumably to go find Oliver, Skylar, and I in the main part of the ER. I watched as Alivia sighed, muttered something under her breath about knowing how Dani would react, then grabbed her crutches and limped out of the room.

"What just happened?" Jaime questioned, stepping out from behind the cabinet. I stepped out as well, thinking hard.

"Alivia asked her to join her mother. Undercover." I realized, mind racing. "She must have said yes."

"Dude, she just very clearly said no." Jaime pointed out. I shook my head.

"Later, in the future. Something must have changed." The words _'not while there's still a League full of heroes that can deal with her'_ echoed in my head. Maybe, with the League being destroyed and all, maybe Dani felt like she didn't have a choice anymore. Maybe that's why Dani agreed. "Dani's not evil, she's just working undercover. That makes so much more sense!"

It really did. Dani wasn't evil, she could never be truly evil – I mean, anyone who loved animals as much as Dani couldn't be some crazy, evil psychopath, right? Somewhere along the way, Alivia had convinced her that it was the right thing to do, and Dani was dived right into the thick of it. And being the stubborn idiot she was, Dani was going to keep with it until the job was done. Still, regardless of whether what she was doing was right or wrong, or whether or not they should have told us what was going on, at least she was still our Dani. It was like a weight had just lifted off my shoulders for the first time in a year.

"So, Dani working undercover, that was the bigger problem you mentioned?" The blonde-haired girl questioned. "Or was it something else?"

"Something else, something much, much worse." Okay, figured out what Dani was up, now to save the day. I turned to Jaime, dead serious. "We need to get everyone out of here."

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because if we don't evacuate, we're all going to die." I replied, pushing past her.

 **Xxx**

"So wait, they decided to kill all of us just because their dad lost his powers?" Jaime demanded, following me through the halls.

"More or less, yeah." I agreed, looking around. I'd already tried to convince Horace, but maybe someone else would believe me. If it was someone with enough influence, like Hapax or Clone Master, maybe they'd believe me.

"And they actually succeed? They kill all of us?" She questioned. I glanced back at her.

"Uh, mostly. There's about…uh," I didn't really want to give her all the gory details, especially not a list of who died and who didn't. "About a dozen left, give or take." Jaime stopped short. I paused and looked back at her. She was staring at me, wide-eyed, in horror. I gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. That's why we have to stop it."

"Only a dozen." She breathed, shocked. I grabbed her arm.

"We need to stop it." I repeated myself. She nodded, though she was obviously shaken.

"Right, yeah." She shook herself. "Alright, how long have we got until…until it happens."

I checked my watch. 7:16. "Not sure. Dani, Oliver, Skylar, and I – your Kaz, I mean, not me – are supposed to leave the hospital in about ten minutes. By time we get back, around 8:30, this whole place is gone."

"That's not a lot of time, Kaz." She told me, eyes narrowing. I nodded.

"I know." I agreed. "I know."

"Alright, did you talk to Horace?" She questioned. "He can order an evacuation."

"He doesn't believe me." I replied, shaking my head. "He says that Roddiseus and his entire family are too revered in the superhero community for them to pull something like that. And I can't convince him otherwise without telling him I'm from the future. I shouldn't have even told you, and even if I told him, there's no guarantee that would convince him."

"Then what's the plan?" She demanded.

"Find Clone Master. He's a League member; if we can convince him, he can evacuate the place." I decided. She nodded in agreement.

"Good idea. Let's go." She led the way into the main part of the ER, only to discover that the party – a celebration of 400 years of Mighty Med history – was already in full swing. Every hero in the known universe was here, blissfully unaware of what awaited them. Unfortunately, it was too crowded to see any one person, and Clone Master was nowhere to be seen. "This isn't going to work."

"It has to." I insisted. Craning my neck, I couldn't catch sight of the red-haired Irish hero. "Alright, new plan. Split up. It'll give us a better chance of finding him. Text me if you find him. Otherwise, meet back in the rec room in twenty minutes."

"Got it. Good luck." She told me, giving me a serious look before disappearing into the crowd.

 **Xxx**

I searched the crowds, trying to get through as quickly as possible. But the room was packed, overly so, and with party guests flooding into the halls and adjoining rooms, it was almost impossible to find anyone. I did pass by a couple of familiar faces – Spotlight, hitting on Solar Flare, Crossbow comparing shooting techniques with Arrowette – but none of them League members. Hell, I couldn't even find Horace.

"Hello, anyone?" I called, stepping into one of the locked rooms. Maybe someone had come in here to have a private conversation and had locked the door behind them. To my disappointment, the room was just the filing room where we kept all the hospital's artifacts and valuable technologies. I started to walk away, then I remembered something.

On the far wall was a vault labelled 'Dangerous'. On a hunch, I dialed my security pin into the vault and opened it up, revealing the most dangerous artifact in superhero history: the Arcturion Space Rock. When I'd originally gone back to Mighty Med after it was destroyed, this vault had been wide open, the explosion ripping the door off its hinges. We'd always assumed what had been inside had been stolen, but now I figured out what really happened. I removed the Arcturion from the vault and carried it over to a large stack of filing cabinets. Remembering exactly which one I'd taken from the ruined hospital, I carefully placed the Arcturion inside.

We'd never figured out how the Arcturion had gotten into those storage bins I'd grabbed. We'd figured that some hero had brought it back to the hospital, but it shouldn't have been in those bins. But placing it in there for me to find, months later, would be a hell of a lot better than Roman, Riker, Reese or any of their other psychotic siblings finding it.

I nodded to myself, commending myself on my quick thinking, before leaving the room and locking it behind me.

After a few more minutes of searching, I gave up; Clone Master, or any other member of the League of Heroes, was nowhere to be found. Following the original plan, I went back to the rec room, where Jaime was waiting.

"I can't him. Or the other League Members." She declared. "Where are they?"

"I couldn't find Horace either. Maybe they're together, talking or something. It can't be a coincidence that we can't find any of them." I decided. Jaime nodded thoughtfully.

"They could be having their own, mini-celebration. I mean, this is here mostly because of them." She considered. "Maybe they're in Horace's office."

"Not a bad place to start." We were running out of time; if they weren't there, I didn't know what we'd do. "Let's go."

"Wait. You go on ahead." She told me as we walked out. She stopped by the rec room door and I turned back to look at her. "I have to go find Alivia."

"We need to find her father first." I insisted. Jaime gave me a harsh look. "Look, Liv will be fine. We have to stop the hospital from getting destroyed."

"I have to make sure she's okay." She insisted. I sighed and turned around and started down the hall. But before I could get more than a few steps away from Jaime, I found myself staring right at Ryan, the youngest of Roddiseus' sons. He was standing all alone in the middle of the hallway, holding a ball of energy between his hands. Said ball of energy was steadily growing – already it was the size of a basketball – and beginning to glow a threatening shade of white. It took me only a split-second to realize what he was doing, but it was a split-second too late.

"Hit the deck!" I shouted, hoping that Jaime was still in earshot, before dropping to the ground. I hit the floor just as blinding flash of white light cast itself over the room. Everything went quiet as I tried to blink past the white light, my vision fading in and out for a few brief moments.

The light slowly faded away, allowing me to see a few things through the white mist. The wall where Ryan had been standing had been blown away, only rubble remaining, while pieces of debris still floated down from above. Despite the fact that we were on the main floor, I could see slithers of the black sky above us, between the columns of smoke.

Suddenly, something latched onto my arm. I snapped my head to the side and I think I may have shouted in surprise, though I still couldn't hear anything, when Jaime's face appeared right in front of mine. She mouthed something at me, something I couldn't quite make out.

"What?" I called. My hearing was starting to the return, my shouted echoing in my ears and sounding like it was underwater.

"I said, are you okay?" Jaime repeated herself, sounding much clearer this time. I nodded.

"I think so." My entire body ached, but nothing felt broken or badly damaged. "You?"

"I've had worse." She admitted, even as she rubbed her arm. I could see a nasty burn beginning to form on the forearm. I winced sympathetically, then got to my feet, using the nearby wall to keep my balance. "How could one of them do this much damage?"

I looked around, knowing that she was right. The damage was far too extensive to have only originated from where Ryan had been standing. "All thirteen of them must have used their energy ball to blast the place, then turned into their swarm form." I decided. "That's the best way to do the most damage."

"We have to go, get the others, get them out of here." Jaime said breathlessly, tone panicked.

"No, it's too late. We have to get out of here." I told her, grabbing her arm. Maybe, hopefully, the time machine would be intact and we could escape using that.

"No, no we can't run. There might be survivors." She insisted. I shook my head.

"No, there won't. Not many. The initial blast…most of it was focused in the ER. There must have been a few of the siblings in there when things went boom. That blast killed most of the heroes. Anyone left will be taken out one by one. We can't save them." I told her. It was the truth, unfortunately – months of studying what Roman and Riker had done had told me every detail about how the attack took place.

"We still have to go, we have to help." She insisted.

"It'll be a bloodbath." I argued. She hesitated.

"Go. Go back to your time machine, go back to the future. Save Dani or whatever you came back here to do." She encouraged. "Do what you need to do. But I'm going to do what I need to do, and that's go back in there and get as many people as I can out."

She pushed herself off the ground and started towards the ER. "Jaime, if you go in there, you'll die."

She stopped, that fact finally catching her attention. She turned her head to the side, without turning around. "Alivia. You said some heroes survived, is she one of them?"

I sighed, then nodded. "Yes. Yes, Alivia's alright. She's alive, she's okay."

She nodded. "Then that's the important thing." She decided.

"Jaime…" I tried one last time to stop her.

"Heroes die, Kaz. We all know that. But if we can save even one life, that makes it worth it." She assured me. She gave me one last smile, then took off in the direction of the explosion. I scrambled to my feet, about to go after her, but skidded to a stop as a dark grey swarm dived past me. I dropped back a step, narrowly avoiding being hit. But by time the swarm disappeared, in search of another victim, Jaime was gone, nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, Jaime." I muttered, before turning around and running back down the hall. I leapt over a piece of debris, my arm covering my mouth as the smoke from the fires started to grow thicker.

Eventually, I made it to the storage closet. The walls were singed, the door was cracked and split down the middle, but by some miracle, the time machine inside was left undamaged. Taking one last look over my shoulder at Mighty Med, I wished Jaime the best of luck, then slid into the seat. "Bring me home." I murmured to the circular device before sliding it into its spot. I slammed my fist down on the green button. There was a flash of light, all too much like the explosion from before, and I was off.

 **Xxx**

I reappeared in the lab room, back at the Centium City Davenport Industries building, right where I'd taken the time machine from.

I leaned back in the seat, taking a deep breath, thinking over everything that had happened. Jaime was dead, I didn't doubt that that fact hadn't changed. There was no way she could have survived going in there. God, I knew it was going to happen; the future isn't that easy to change. But seeing her again…it just made it hurt more. And Dani, undercover. Not evil, just undercover. That was a lot to take in, I admit. Like, a lot. And I wasn't sure whether I was more relieved that she wasn't truly evil than I was angry at her for lying to us.

Letting out a slow breath, I looked around, thanking my lucky stars that I was home again. The buttons on the time machine caught my eye, the red one in particular. Curious, I pressed the button, but nothing happened. Figures, Calla would have a fake button labelled 'do not touch' that was only to screw with us.

Alright, enough fun. I was going to have a little word with a certain red head.

 **Xxx**

"Hey Kaz." Jazz smiled at me as I walked into Mighty Med 2.0., carrying a few files in her hands. She walked over to a nearby hospital bed, handing them off to Oliver as he examined the patient.

"Hey, you seen Geminus?" I asked the intern. "Scarlet Ace said I could find her here."

"Yeah, she came in with some cracked ribs. She's stuck here for the night, so she got a private room." She replied. She checked over the papers in her hands. "Room 206."

"Thanks kid." I smiled at her before heading towards the stairs. I jogged up the stairs then headed down the hallway. "Alright, Red. We need to talk." I declared, shoving open the correct door. To my surprise, Alivia wasn't alone.

"Ah, Kaz. Good, you're here." Horace spared me a glance. "Then you can explain to Geminus why taking on six guys by herself may not be the right course of action."

I just stared at him, stunned, even as he walked out of the room. I guess Jaime was able to save more lives.

"Hey." Alivia caught my attention. She was lying on the bed, looking more bored than hurt. "What's up?"

"We need to talk." I told her, crossing my arms.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: I always did plan to go back, save Horace and give Jaime a proper ending to her story. So, what did you guys think? I seriously want to know what you guys think. Anyway, here's the schedule update for the next little while:**

 **October 1** **st** **– Pandemic**

 **October 8** **th** **– Bionics VS Superheroes**

 **October 15** **th** **– SOS**

 **Alright guys, I'll see you next week! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	29. Pandemic

**Kihonne: Alright folks, let's keep the ball rolling with Pandemic. I really think you guys are going to like it, though it'll be curious to see which plot you enjoyed more. But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! As for the repercussions, that's going to be very interesting. Most of the bigger ones you'll find out right away, but some I'm going to save for a bit later. And of course, every now and then there will be a small difference to stand as a reminder of Kaz's actions. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: I just have to say, I had a crappy night the night before you reviewed, and waking up to find this review waiting for me was the best thing I could have hoped for, so thank you :) I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially the ending! I really wanted to keep that a surprise for you guys, since I knew so many people would enjoy it. As for what you expected, I did consider it for a bit. Some of the original plans did have some mentions of doing a butterfly effect thing, but in the end, I felt that Kaz being forced to let everyone in the hospital would be too dark to work with his character without doing some serious emotional damage to him, and as silly as it sounds, I wanted to keep some of his innocence. He brings a certain lightness to the show that I didn't want to have to change. I also considered Mother May I as Kaz's intended date, but I couldn't think of how he would be able to accidently go to the specific date of Mighty Med's destruction by accident, unless he was travelling to a specific event instead of a date. Childhood's End was the first time the idea of working with Bridget entered Dani's mind, so having Kaz choose that event and unexpectedly landing farther back than he intended made more sense than just putting in the date wrong. I'm happy Kaz knows the truth now too – it allows him to make an informed judgement on Dani and her actions. As for whether he'll spill the beans, well even if he did, he's been spouting out theories about what's really going on with Dani for months, so unless he has proof, who will believe him? Okay, theories. Yes, the red button actually did do something; Calla wouldn't waste her time putting in a useless button. You'll find out about that button soon enough. As for how the time travel and Jaime's actions changed things, that's an excellent question. I've categorized her changes to the present in three categories – big changes, minor changes, and season 3 changes. You'll get to see most of the big changes (such as Horace's survival) in the next couples of chapters, while minor changes will be spread throughout the rest of the series. There will be some pretty big changes that she made, unintentionally, that'll seriously affect season 3, so that'll be interesting to explore. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Astronema2345: Ooh, a kidnapping plot would be interesting. I will keep it in mind. However, I don't think I'll give Chase superpowers. Sorry, but he's got a fair number of bionic abilities and apps, so I wouldn't want to overpower him. Thank you for the suggestion and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Layla347: Yes, Kaz knows the truth. That should be interesting. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially Jaime's ending. I thought she really deserved it. Yes, Horace is back. Basically, Jaime went back to save more lives and ended up saving his life, among others. She wasn't able to do this the first time around because she would have been in the middle of ER, where the majority of the blast was, rather than with Kaz near the rec room.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much! I'm glad you like what I did with Alivia and Dani switching out the Arcturion. No, they don't know that it was her, though one of them certainly suspects that it might be. Yeah, it's not that surprising that Calla was able to crack time travel early – when she puts her mind to something, she doesn't quit. And what kind of person would I be if I didn't mention our favorite DC speedster show, especially after how badly Barry screwed up his own timeline. You have a good theory as to who might know about Dani. I reveal one of them in this chapter, and the fifth person will be revealed in a couple of chapters, so you'll find out soon. It's sad that Jaime still has to die, but to be fair, I think that this is exactly how she would have preferred to go, dying in a blaze of glory while trying to save lives. There's going to be a few changes to the timeline, though for the time being most of them will be minor ones. There'll be some bigger ones revealed in future chapters, as Kaz's time travel stunt actually sets up a bit of season 3. A few more people survived, but you're going to find more about that in a future chapter. Will Kaz tell people? Well, a few. Kaz knows how badly Dani's secret hurt him, and he's very aware of how badly it affected the team, so he's definitely going to tell at least one person. And no, Kaz is not very happy with Alivia. Not at all. I wanted Kaz to find out first, though Oliver would be my second choice, because of how the secret affected their relationship. The earlier Kaz finds out, the more likely he is to forgive her in the future. And yeah, Kaz would be the first to go for the time machine. Let's be honest, even if he didn't have a good reason for wanting to go back in time, he'd still have done it just for the fun of it. But yes, let's hope that Kaz doesn't blow her cover…As for the red button, well let's just say Calla didn't just include it and the 'do not touch' label just for kicks. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, chapter time! Let's go!**

 **Horace: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all her OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on her pillow, wincing as she did so.

"Ugh, not you too. Look, Lils already got annoyed at me. No more taking on more than three guys solo, I get it." She insisted. I shook my head.

"Not what I'm talking about." I snapped. She nodded.

"Okay, cool. At least this lecture won't be as similar as Horace, Oliver, or Lily's." She commented. She put one hand behind her bed, relaxing. "So, what's up? What did I do to piss you off?"

"How about making my girlfriend go undercover to spy on her mom?" I suggested. Her mouth snapped shut, giving her a deer-in-headlights expression. She sat up really quickly, fast enough for the movement to jar her damaged ribs. She sucked in a sharp breath, even as she stared at me.

"What?" She demanded, absolutely shocked, wrapping her arms around her midsection. Letting out an irritable sigh, I swiped an ice pack off the counter.

"Ice it. Twenty minutes." I ordered before crossing my arms once more. "Now, Dani, undercover, what the hell?"

"Dani, she's not…" I raised an eyebrow as she started to lie to me. She shook her head in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"Doesn't matter." I growled. She nodded.

"Yeah, it does. Kaz, how did you find out?" She insisted.

"Time travel, long story. Don't worry; no one else knows." I assured her, realizing what she was worried about. "I'm not about to risk her getting busted by telling everyone."

"Good, good. Kaz-" She started to get up, but I put my hand on her shoulder, sitting her back down on the bed.

"Ice." I insisted. She complied, pressing the ice pack to her ribs with a slight grimace.

"No one can know. Kaz, no one." She insisted.

"Yeah, about that. What the hell, Liv? We're your friends; we're her team. I'm…well I'm me! How could you guys lie to us like this?" I demanded. "Seriously, how could you?"

"Look, Bridget had to be taken out. The best way to do that was to have someone on the inside-" She began. I shook my head.

"No, I get that. And honestly, I don't absolutely hate the plan, except for the fact that it involves lying to all of us." I told her. "Oh, and Dani taking all the risks; I'm not cool with that either."

"Kaz, calm down." She looked at me seriously. I glared at her. "I mean it. Take a breath. Now, you pointed out that Dani's taking a lot of risks. Yeah, she is. One of those biggest risks is that Bridget could find out. The less people who know, the safer she is. We lied to everyone, so don't take it so personally."

"You really think that any of us would tell Bridget or any of her goons?" I demanded. "Who do you think we are, Alivia?"

She stood up, dropping the ice bag on the bed, to stare me in the eye. "I think Oliver is one of the worst liars I've ever met and there's no way Skylar could keep something like this from him. I think that I don't know Calla, Chase, or Bree very well and Jaden even less and I couldn't be sure they wouldn't accidently reveal what she was doing, especially if their significant other was on the line. And I think that there is no way in hell that you would have ever let Dani do something this dangerous without being her backup, and there is no way Dani would agree to anything that put you directly in her mother's crossfire."

I glared at her, curling my fists. The worst part of all of this? She wasn't wrong. Oliver was a terrible liar and Skylar was too loyal to us to keep something like that from us, especially not Oliver. Alivia didn't know Calla, Chase, Bree, or Jaden enough to make a fair judgement call. And I wouldn't have let Dani do this alone. And to be fair, if any of us had known about this plan, we'd have stopped Dani from doing it – it was too dangerous, too high risk.

"So she takes all the risk, and you do what?" I questioned, changing topics. "You watch from the sidelines."

"You think I like that? That my friend has to be the one in danger at my request?" She demanded.

"You shouldn't have asked her in the first place!" I shouted. She looked at me, her gaze cold. "You shouldn't have asked her to do something so dangerous, Alivia, and you know it."

"Bridget is dangerous. She's the most powerful villain in the world, Kaz. Sometimes, you have to take risks and do dangerous shit. Because that's what heroes do – they put themselves at risk to stop people from getting hurt." She snapped. "Dani did this because it was the right thing to do."

"Oh, please. That's not why she did it." I rolled my eyes. Alivia frowned at me.

"What are you talking about? Of course she did." She insisted. I shook my head.

"She didn't agree to this because she wanted to stop her mother. Honestly, I think she would have been perfectly fine if she never saw Bridget again in her life." I snapped. "She did this because you asked."

Alivia shook her head. "She said no. The first time I asked, she said no."

I nodded, expecting that response. "Yeah, she did. Then you died, or at least we thought you did, and I guarantee you that the only thing running through her head was that the last thing she did with her best friend was fight." I said slowly, carefully, to make sure every word got through to her. "Now, let me guess. The day she changed her mind and decided that she wanted to go through with this plan was the same day she found out you were really alive, right?" Alivia didn't answer, looking away. "How much of her decision do you think was motivated by guilt?"

Alivia turned to respond, and I could see all of it in her eyes – this wasn't the first time the thought had occurred to her. But before she could find the words to reply, the lights in the room turned red and an alarm began to blare across the entire hospital.

 **xxx**

"What's going on?" I demanded, leaning over the edge of the railing on the balcony, Alivia right behind me. I could see that the entrance to Mighty Med 2.0. had closed up, a large, thick metal door sealing it. Calla was here, for some reason, standing in the reception area alongside Horace.

"Hey, what's going on?" Oliver questioned, poking his head out of his office. He looked at me for an answer, but I shrugged helplessly.

"Hey!" Calla called, getting our attention. She waved at us. "Get down here."

"Coming!" I called back, already heading for the stairs. Jogging down two at a time, we raced towards her. "What's with the alarms?"

"The hospital's in lockdown." Horace explained as Calla worked on the computer. I could see her entering complicated files with strange formulas on them. "The oxysensors detected something in the air."

"What did they detect?" Oliver questioned, leaning on the reception desk to look at Calla. She furrowed her brow, frowning at the formulas.

"I don't know. I've managed to isolate what got added to the air, but I don't recognize half of the elements in it." She shook her head before turning to look at Horace. "Whatever this is, I don't think it came from Earth."

"Well, is it dangerous?" I asked the most obvious question. Calla shrugged.

"I don't know. But it's been in the air for a total of four and a half minutes now, and no one's reacting to it, so it's possible it's not." She mentioned. "But I won't know for sure until I run some tests on it."

"Do it. You can use the rec room to work." Horace told her. She nodded and stood up. "Until we figure out what this is, the hospital is under quarantine. No one in and no one out. Understand?"

"Yeah, Horace. We understand." I replied. He nodded and walked away to deal with another patient. Calla turned to us.

"Alright, the only reason I came here in the first place was to update the bionic capsules. Oliver, Skylar, would you guys mind doing that for me? It's simple, all you have to do is download the update and make sure the system stays on while doing it." She requested, offering them a hard drive. Skylar nodded, taking it from her.

"Sure. Easy." She replied. Calla nodded.

"Alright, Kaz, you're going to help me figure out what this is." She added. "Geminus…you take it easy. Relax a bit."

"Uh, you sure you want my help? Oliver's better at the whole science thing." I pointed out. Calla shook her head.

"No, I want you." She insisted. I frowned and exchanged looks with Oliver, but didn't object a second time.

"I'm not just going to go and chill if something's wrong." Alivia insisted.

"There might not be. If a new superhero from another planet showed up, carrying the scent of his or her planet, then it's possible that the oxysensors picked up on that. Besides, no offense, Gem, but there's not much you can do." Calla told her. She shrugged. "If you want to help, keep an eye on everyone. If they're acting unusual or are showing symptoms that don't match what they came in here with, let me know."

"On it." Alivia nodded. She looked at me, then glanced at the others. "Can we finish this conversation before…" Before I tell everyone, she meant. Stiffly, I nodded, then followed Calla towards the rec room.

 **xxx**

"Alright…" Calla placed a vial into a centrifuge device before closing it and pressing a button. "We should have a synthesized version of the gas in about twenty minutes. Then we'll be able to determine what it is and if its harmful to us."

"So we just wait?" I questioned. She nodded. "Then why did you need my help?"

"I didn't. Just wanted to ask you something." She admitted, sitting down on the arm of a lounge chair. She fixed me a look that was half curious, half annoyed. "So, how did you little time travel trip go?"

I snapped my head towards her, eyes widening in surprise. "How…"

"Did you really think I label a button 'do not touch' if I really didn't want you to touch it?" She scoffed. She rolled her eyes. "Please, I know you guys; the moment you're told not to do something, you just want to do it more."

Figures. "What did that button do?"

"Sent me a pic from one of the hidden security cameras, a security camera that wasn't on the main feed so whatever you did to my main cameras wouldn't affect it." She crossed her arms. "So, you going to tell me what the hell you were doing with my time machine?"

I sighed. "I was trying to stop Dee from turning evil."

Calla's expression changed from annoyance to pity. "Oh, Kaz…I don't think it's that easy."

"Believe me, I know." I agreed. She patted me on the shoulder gently.

"You can't do that again. Time travel has consequences. It's one thing if we've planned everything out to make sure nothing goes wrong, but doing it on a whim? That's dangerous." She told me. I nodded.

"I know. Sorry." I apologized. She sighed and put her hands on the back of the chair, leaning back.

"How much did you do? Much how did you change?" She asked. I shook my head helplessly.

I shook my head helplessly. "I'm not really sure if I changed that much. I mean, Horace is back, but aside from that, I don't know."

"Back?" Calla furrowed her brow. She opened her mouth to say something else, then coughed deeply, bringing her arm up to her mouth. "Sorry." She muttered, clearing her throat. "I think I caught whatever cold Jay had last week. So, you were saying?"

Before I had a chance to respond, Alivia stepped into the room. "Hey guys, we have a problem."

 **Xxx**

"Yeah, I don't think you caught Jaden's cold." I decided.

The ER was filled with at least a dozen, at least a dozen of them coughing like 80-year-old smokers.

"When did this start?" I questioned, walking over to Oliver. He was busy dealing with a younger patient, one of the sidekicks that had started working with the NLH. He shrugged as he gently placed a thermometer in the teenage boy's mouth.

"Hard to tell. A few started coughing before the sensors picked up on the contaminant in the air. I was telling people to just pick up some decongestants; I thought it was just a cold." He replied, removing the thermometer as it beeped. He frowned, looking at the reading. "102. And rising."

"So, what is this?" Skylar questioned. "Is it dangerous, or what?"

"It doesn't look like it yet." Horace assured her. "But we won't know for sure until we do any tests."

"I can…" Calla paused to cough, "I can run some soon. I can get you results within a half hour."

"Good. Sit." I ordered. She gave me a look. I raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the nearby hospital bed. "Sit."

"I'm fine. I need to go run those tests." She insisted, even as she sat down. I grabbed one of the temporal thermometers and placed it against her forehead.

"Yeah, well, you can't run any until the synthesized version of the gas is ready and that won't be for another ten minutes, so sit still and let me make sure you don't have a fever." I insisted. I checked the thermometer. "Okay, 100.5."

"See? No fever." She smirked and hopped off the bed.

"No, but you are hotter than usual." I noted. I looked at Oliver. "We should check everyone with a cough for a fever. Jaz-"

"Benny, Jazz, start going around, check everyone for a fever." Horace ordered, cutting me off. Oh, right. If he survived, that meant that Calla probably put him in charge of Mighty Med 2.0. instead of Oliver, Dani, and I. It made sense, really, though it kinda sucked that I didn't get to boss people around anymore.

"I'm going to go work on those tests." Calla declared. "Skylar, a hand?"

"Sure." The alien nodded and followed Calla towards the rec room.

"Alright, we should start checking if anyone else has different symptoms." I turned to Oliver, but he was already gone, checking on different patients. "Good idea, Kaz. Thank you, Kaz." I muttered sarcastically to myself before going off to do what I'd just suggested.

 **Xxx**

True to her word, Calla had the results of her test in no less than 27 and a half minutes. Unfortunately, her delivery of the results was less than desirable.

"Well, we're all screwed." The genius announced, walking into the ER, clutching some papers in her raised hand. She slammed them onto the counter. "No, seriously. We're screwed."

"What," Oliver coughed, "are you talking about?"

"The contaminant in the air? It's deadly." Skylar explained. Calla cleared her throat, nodding.

"I ran a few tests. You know how everyone is running fevers?" She questioned. We nodded. "Well, those fevers are just going to keep getting higher and higher until they cause brain damage. Which will lead to everyone dying."

"Are you serious?" I demanded. She nodded, grimacing. "But how? How did this get into the hospital?"

"There was an outbreak on Gorlax a few weeks ago. Someone must have brought it back here as a carrier." Skylar replied before coughing harshly into her hand.

"How did Gorlaxians deal with it?" Horace questioned. Skylar shook her head.

"They didn't. Their species can survive core temperatures of up to 200 degrees. This is like a cold to them." She explained.

"Some species can handle this fine. But humans definitely can't." Calla insisted. "And considering that most of the people here are human, that's a problem."

"Well, can't you fix it?" I asked the obvious questioned. Calla turned on me, giving me a look.

"I'm an expert in biomechanical engineering and technology. You know, man-made stuff. That's easy. But alien pathogens? You've got the wrong girl."

"Well, we need to figure out something." Oliver insisted, crossing his arms.

"Obviously." Calla agreed.

"Look, you have the synthesized version of the pathogen, correct?" Horace questioned. Calla nodded. "Alright, you and I will work on creating a cure. I'm sure if we put our heads together, we'll be able to find something that works. Kaz, Oliver, you two stay here, in the ER, and do your best to keep people comfortable and alive."

"Yeah, okay." Oliver and I both nodded. Calla and Horace headed for the rec area, while Oliver and I looked at the steadily growing number of people in the ER. The hospital may be under lockdown, but the staff members and the patients we already had were quickly getting infected. "Uh, I'll take this half and you take that one?" I suggested. He shrugged.

"Whatever." He replied, walking over to the other side. So, I guess we were still fighting. Time travel couldn't fix everything, I guess.

"You guys are still fighting?" Alivia observed as I started checking on people. I nodded, then gestured for her to sit on the gurney in front of me. She complied, coughing harshly. "Ow." She muttered, wrapping her arms around her ribs. "Not fun."

"Yeah, we're fighting. You know what I just realized? It's stupid." I replied, pulling out a thermal thermometer. I placed it against her forehead. "I mean, we're fighting about a stupid decision you and Dani made. It's ridiculous."

"I am sorry." She apologized. I looked at her. "We weren't trying to hurt you guys. You do know that, right?"

"Yeah, well, you did." I retorted. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself tighter. Chills, a classic symptom of a fever. I frowned as the thermometer beeped. 102.4. Great.

"You're right. And if I were a better friend, I wouldn't have lied to you or even asked Dani to do something so reckless." She admitted. She fixed me a hard stare. "But I'm not just your friend, Kaz; I'm the leader of the New League of Heroes. And that means that I sometimes have to make decisions that put the needs of humanity above the people I care about."

"Okay, one, you're not my friend. Two, don't give me some speech about the greater good. I know what it takes to be a hero." I growled at her before moving on to another gurney. I smiled at the intern who was sitting on the gurney. "Hey Jazz, how you feeling?"

"Cold and achy." She admitted, pulling a blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Don't worry. Horace and Calla will come up with something soon." I assured her as I took her temperature.

"Look, Kaz, I know you're pissed that we lied-" Alivia came up behind me, stubbornly refusing to let me have the last word. So, I tried another technique.

"So, who _did_ you tell? I mean, obviously you told Lily." I glanced at the thermometer, then gave Jazz another smile. "Alright, you wanna do me a favor? There are some fever reducers in the storage area. Grab all of them and bring them in here. And take one for yourself."

"Okay." She slid off the gurney and slowly headed down one of the hallways.

"What do you mean obviously?" Alivia questioned. I looked at her.

"C'mon, I mean, you had to tell her. That big of a lie would really impact your relationship, and God forbid that happen to you." I replied in a falsely cheerful voice. She sighed, but didn't object to the fact that Lily was in the know. Figures. "Look, Alivia, I'm pissed. There's no point in denying that. And yeah, I know that this wasn't just you and that Dani was the one who agreed to do all this, and I'm angry with her too, but if this goes wrong and anything happens to her, I'm holding you responsible."

"Fair enough." She nodded.

"Good. Now go grab a fever reducer and lie down. Now." I instructed before moving onto my next patient. "Alright, how are you feeling?"

 **Xxx**

We ran out of fever reducers after about twenty minutes, and people's fevers were still getting higher. It was like they were having no effect. Skylar had come down sick by now, and judging by the coughs Oliver was trying to stifle, he was to. Hoping to find something that would combat the fever, or at least some blankets, I headed down the hall towards the storage rooms.

"…No, no. It's just a mechanical thing. Someone probably unplugged the wrong thing while trying to find somewhere to charge their phone." Calla was leaning against one of the walls, talking on the phone. "I'm serious, go. Grab some back up from the Academy and go. I'll see you when you get back." She paused, listening, a small smile on her face. "Love you too."

I walked over to her when she hung up. "Was that Chase?" I guessed. She nodded tiredly, wiping her forehead.

"Yeah. They got a mission alert." She explained. "I told him to go without us."

"You lied to him." I noted. She hesitated, then shrugged.

"If I told him the truth, then he'd rush down here before I could even finish my sentence. We're heroes – the mission has to come first." She pointed out logically. She forced a smile. "Besides, we're going to be fine, so why worry him needlessly?"

"So is the cure finished?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Yeah, just about. I think Horace went to find a volunteer to test it out." She replied before breaking into a particularly rough coughing fit. She reached out, grabbing my arm to stop herself from dropping to her knees. "Sorry." She muttered breathlessly when it was done.

"You look like crap." I told her bluntly. She laughed softly, amused.

"Thanks." She rolled her eyes. "You look…" She paused, then frowned and cocked her head. "Well, I was about to say you looked shitty too, but to be honest, you don't."

"I don't feel bad either." I replied, noticing it for the first time. Everyone else was pretty much sweating through 103/104 degree fevers and coughing their lungs out, but I felt absolutely normal. Huh, maybe it just hadn't hit me yet.

"Guys!" Skylar called, her tone urgent. "Calla, Kaz!"

"Coming!" I shouted. Calla nodded, pocketed her phone and led me into the ER. Horace, Skylar, and Oliver were standing in front of Alivia, who was kneeling on the ground, presumably recovering from a coughing fit. "What's going…oh."

Alivia looked up at me and I noticed a blob of crimson in her curled up fist. "The 'cure' just made things worse." Oliver mentioned before coughing harshly.

"I don't know how to do this." Calla sighed, sitting down on the gurney. "Dr. Diaz?"

"I've never seen anything like this before." The doctor agreed, shaking his head. "The way it spread so fast, how badly it's getting so quickly, it's something completely new."

"How are you not sick?" Skylar grumbled, looking at me, almost accusingly. I shrugged, not knowing the answer myself. But that caught the others' attentions.

"Yeah, actually, you aren't sick, are you?" Oliver questioned, looking at me carefully. I shrugged again.

"I feel normal and I don't think I've been coughing at all or anything. But I've been exposed to it, just like you guys." I mentioned, confused. Calla frowned at me, looking at me like I was some sort of equation that she needed to figure out. Truth be told, they were all staring at me like that and it was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. "Guys?"

"Wait…the pathogen's main effect is a fever…" Skylar hummed, working it out aloud. "And Kaz is pyrokinetic. You can survive massive temperature spikes, right?"

"The highest we've tested is three hundred degrees." I mentioned, remembering that little training session with Chase.

"Well that must be why you're immune. It's just like with the Gorlaxians." Alivia mentioned, pulling herself onto the gurney with a little help from Oliver.

"Is there a way we can use this to make a cure?" Oliver questioned. Horace snapped his fingers and pointed at him grinning.

"Yes. Well done, Oliver!" He exclaimed. He looked at me. "If we have a sample of your blood, we can manipulate it to create a cure."

"Yeah, sure. Take what you need." I agreed quickly. Calla nodded.

"Okay, this might work." She grinned.

 **Xxx**

"They said it should only be a couple more minutes." I mentioned, heading over to Oliver. He was sitting at the reception desk, head in his hands. He nodded slightly when I said that, not moving his hands. "Headache?" I guessed. He nodded again. "Listen, man, we need to talk."

"About?" He questioned.

"Dani." I replied. He sighed loudly.

"Kaz, if this is another one of your far-fetched theories…" He began before coughing harshly.

"It's not like the other times, I swear." I promised him. He looked up, confused, but before he could ask anything, Calla, Horace, and Skylar entered the room, carrying vials of an amber-colored serum.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Calla questioned. I glanced at Alivia, who'd volunteered last time, but she was lying on a gurney, dozing slightly.

"I will, I guess." Jazz stepped forward. Horace nodded appreciatively at her.

"That a girl." He encouraged her, pulling the stopper off of one the vials. He handed it to her.

"I just drink it?" She questioned. He nodded and she brought the vial up to her lips. She drank a bit of it, then chugged the rest, coughing harshly when she finished. "Oh my God, that tastes horrible."

"Yeah, couldn't find any flavoring." Calla replied apologetically, holding her hand out. Jazz handed her the vial back.

"How long until we know if it's working?" Oliver called, sitting up.

"Only a couple of minutes. It should be fast acting." Skylar assured us as she gathered up several vials in her arms. She, along with Horace, Calla, and I, started handing them out to the patients, helping the weaker ones drink them.

"Oh, God." Oliver wiped his mouth, grimacing. "Calla, that tastes like expired milk."

"It's not that…" The genius retorted, gulping her own serum down quickly. "No, never mind. It really is that bad."

"To be fair, it probably doesn't taste worse than her cooking." I mentioned to Jazz, earning a laugh from the younger girl. I ducked as a plastic vial went flying at my head.

"I heard that!" Calla snapped. Horace chuckled at our shenanigans, then patted one of the hospital beds, motioning for Jazz to sit. She did as she was told and let him check her temperature.

"101.4. A little high." He mentioned.

"But it was at 103.8 less than an hour ago." I pointed out. He nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I believe it's working then." He decided. He looked at his three favorite nurses. "Benny, Philip, Jazz, I want you to go around, checking everyone's temperatures. If anyone is still above 101.5, I want to know about it, alright?"

"And those of us who are below 101.5?" Alivia questioned, sitting up. Horace considered it.

"Anyone who's between 100.5 and 101.5, I want you to spend the night, just to be sure. Anyone who is below that can go home if they wish." He announced. Oliver nodded, then looked at me.

"Since they're checking temps, maybe now's a good time to talk?" He guessed. I nodded.

"The rec room?" I suggested. He frowned.

"Why not here?" He asked.

"Because trust me, this is a one-on-one type of thing, man." I told him, leading him towards the rec room. Now that that crisis was over, time to get back to what was really important.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Oh, I should mention. This chapter originally had two different plots, one in the hospital and one with Bree and Chase, but since both plots were crucial to the story, I decided to split them up so that each plot had its time to shine. So, before anyone asks about that mission alert, don't worry, you'll see that in the next chapter. Anyway, this is the update schedule for all of October, so you can know what's going on:**

 **October 8** **th** **: Back for More**

 **October 15** **th** **: SOS**

 **October 22** **nd** **: Homecoming**

 **October 29** **th** **: An Elite Q &A**

 **October 31** **st** **: Jailbreak**

 **Don't worry, Bionics VS Superheroes is still happening, I just had to push it back a few weeks so that my Halloween chapter could still happen on time. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought of the chapter! Good, bad, I want to know! I'll see you guys next week!**


	30. Back For More

**Kihonne: Alright, so to all my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving, and to all my non-Canadian friends, I hope you're having a good weekend. Anyway, I'm back with the Back For More! I've got a nice little treat in here for you guys, though some of you might already know what it is if you've read the synopsis of the chapter. Either way, I really hope you enjoy the chapter! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, especially the part with Kaz and Oliver, though that's not quite over yet…Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you enjoyed both the chapters. I'm really glad I was able to tie off the loose ends I did. And yes, Horace and Benny are back! I missed them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much. I hope you like this chapter just as much!**

 **Algernon23: Don't worry about it. I just had something shake my confidence that day, and getting a review like that just helped build it back up. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially how intense it was. I wanted to do something really dramatic, because that is one of my favorite genres to write, and I love the way it turned out. Pandemic had to be one of my favorite chapters of the entire series, and definitely in the top three for my original chapters. And my God, you are right about things getting crazy from here on out. I'm actually pretty excited about how things are going to play out. SOS and Homecoming are pretty exciting, at least for me, and don't even get me started on the Halloween special! I've got two really cool plots for that one, so believe me when I say it's going to one hell of a chapter. Seriously, there is no part of that chapter that I'm not absolutely excited to give you guys. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks**

 **MayLeaf2001: I don't care if you sound like a broken record; I love the praise. I mean, you guys totally overdo it, but I really look forward to reviews like yours. Okay, for your idea, I'm not sure I want to do another short story, especially not one just on the couples, simply because after a while, writing proposals and first dates/kisses, and weddings is going to get boring. However, I was already planning on having at least a handful of romance scenes, particularly with the couples that don't have as much screen time as the main couples, in the drabble story I'm going to do (which, by the way, will be happening sooner than you think). Yes, Horace is back, and Benny. I honestly missed having Horace around and though he's not going to have nearly as much screen time as he did in Mighty Med, he's still going to become a recurring character, which is awesome because he's fun to write. As for Kaz's changes…yeah, you should be scared. LOL, but seriously. A lot of his changes won't be in the Elite Force's favor, that's for sure, but there might be a few here or there that you'll like. As for Kaz and Oliver, don't worry, they're going to have a decent scene next chapter. Next chapter is going to be pretty heavy on the relationship side of things (and not just the romantic ones either), so they'll definitely get their spotlight. Honestly, at first I wasn't sure what to do about Lily. I mean, on one hand, it's hypocritical of Alivia to tell her but not let Dani tell Kaz, but on the other, did I really want to cause drama there when they have enough to worry about? As for the mysterious fifth person, you'll find out soon enough. I plan on addressing that soon enough, though I will say, it's not who you think it is. I know you haven't named who you think it is, but I know for a fact that it's not. Honestly, I think Dani made the right call too. It was a very morally grey decision, I admit, but I think this was the right choice for Dani as a character. Not only because she's type of person who believes that the ends justify the means, but also because she needed to take Bridget down. After everything that's gone down, Dani needed to have a big hand in that. And yeah, it was their best chance. As for whether or not Oliver, Kaz, or anyone else on the team will blow her cover, that's something you're just going to have to keep reading to find out. But yeah, no one is going to be too happy with Dani. She's going to have some amends to make after all this is done, that's for sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Oh, and NEVER apologize for the long reviews! I absolutely adore them, one hundred percent.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Adam: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, any and all OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Bree's POV**

"Hey, Calla, you ready?" I called, walking into the Penthouse. Chase, who was sitting on the couch, looked up from his tablet.

"She's not here." He let me know. "Dr. Diaz called her about an hour ago, said one of the capsules were sparking or something. I don't know when she's going to be back."

I sighed, dropping my bag onto the ground. "Crap. She was supposed to help me study for my art history midterm."

"I could help you study." He offered. I grimaced at the idea; Chase would probably know this stuff better than Calla, but he also had the habit of making you feel stupid if you got a question wrong.

"Uh, no thanks." I said quickly, taking a seat. "I can just wait for her to get back. I'm in no rush or anything."

Chase shrugged, having got used to not being asked to help me or Adam with our homework years ago. "No Jaden?"

"Working." I replied with a shrug. I looked at him, then nodded at his tablet. "You too, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. Deputy Mayor Johnson just announced that he's retiring in a couple of months. Mayor Hannon recommended I apply for his position." He replied. I raised my eyebrows, surprised.

"Chase, that's awesome!" I exclaimed. He smirked a little.

"If I get the job, it'll be amazing." He corrected. I gave him a look.

"Chase, you're _the_ bionic boy. You're going to get the job. Hell, we're so famous that I can get free fro-yo from some places." I mentioned.

"Calla said that too. Where are you guys going for fro-yo?" He questioned incredulously. Before I could answer, I was cut off by MISS, the home AI system.

" _Apologies for interrupting, but a situation has arisen that requires your attention."_ She declared. I frowned, raising my chin.

"What's going on, MISS?" I questioned.

" _There's been a breach of security at the KMBM building in Chicago."_ The AI announced. I looked at Chase in confusion.

"It's a science center for some of the world's most brilliant scientists. You have to be a member of Mensa just to walk through the doors." He explained, frowning. "What sort of security breach?"

"The building was broken into, and it appears that several of the scientists are being kept inside." MISS informed us. Chase nodded.

"Send me the coordinates." He ordered, already pulling out his phone. He hit the speed dial and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hey, we've got a mission alert. Think you can grab Oliver and Skylar? I have no idea where Kaz is…" He trailed off, listening to whoever was on the other end. "What, why not?"

I crossed my arms, waiting as whoever he was talking to finished. "…Are you sure?" He questioned. There was a pause. "Alright. Love you."

He waited another moment, then hung up the phone. "Calla, Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar are stuck at Mighty Med. Some mechanical error locked down the hospital." He explained. I nodded.

"Alright, we can just go stop the baddies ourselves. It doesn't look like it's going to that difficult to beat a few, powerless baddies."

" _That might be more difficult than you imagine. This was taken just minutes before the security alert went out."_ The TV flipped on and MISS showed us an image of a short, Asian man entering the building. I recognized him immediately, looking at Chase to make sure I wasn't wrong.

"Dr. Gao." Chase sneered. "He's back."

"He won't be going in alone." I commented. "He worked with Krane in the past."

"So he might be working with Sebastian now." Chase agreed. He sighed irritably. "And our team is trapped in a hospital."

Despite that, I smiled. "They're not our only team."

 **Xxx**

"Nice place." I commented, looking up at the building. "Any idea how we're going to get in?"

"I've got a couple of ideas." Chase mumbled.

"Yo!" We turned to see Adam and Leo jogging towards us, wearing their own mission suits. Adam gave me a quick hug, smirking at us. "So, back for another mission?"

"Figured it was about time for a family reunion." Chase agreed.

"So, what's the mission?" Leo inquired. "You basically just said Gao was back."

" _Okay, so there's about fifteen people in the 8th floor of the building. Since they're the only ones left in the building, I think it's a safe bet that they're the ones Gao is holding captive."_ Jaden had offered to handle mission command for us, since Calla was unavailable. _"Unfortunately, all I've got are heat sensors, not cameras, so there's no way to tell how many of those are hostages and how many are working for Gao. Or who they are."_

"It's a smart guess to say that Gao's teamed up with Sebastian and the rest of them, so half of are probably bad guys." Chase commented.

"And powered ones at that." I added.

"Sounds like fun." Adam cracked his knuckles, grinning. I smiled back; this was just like old times.

"Alright, let's go." Leo smirked and headed towards the building. "Jaden, how many ways up are there? Just the stairs and the main elevator?"

" _Um…There's a service elevator near the back. But it's sealed off from the outside. You'll have to get into the basement from the front and go through there."_ Jaden replied after a minute.

"That'll take too long." Adam complained. "Can't I just punch a hole in the wall or something?"

"That'll be too loud." Chase quickly shot down that idea. Then, on second thought. "But maybe you have a point. Jaden, I need you to pinpoint exactly where that elevator is."

" _Uh, give me a sec. CeeCee's got a weird-ass set up here."_ Jaden replied.

"Her set up isn't weird just because you don't understand it." Chase grumbled. I smiled, amused.

" _No, it's weird because she's password protected everything._ " Jaden retorted. _"Alright, the elevator shaft is just behind that wall, exactly 3 and ¼ feet to your left."_

"Alright." Chase took a few steps to the left, frowning. "Adam, come right here. I want you to use your heat vision to cut a hole in the wall."

"Ah, nice." Adam grinned before focusing his heat vision on the wall. Slowly, he cut a large hole in the cement wall, just big enough to climb through. Once he was done, Chase raised one hand to his temple while extending his other towards the wall. He quickly used his telekinesis to remove the portion of cement Adam had cut around, lying it on the ground below. "Now what?"

Before anyone could answer him, the elevator slid down the shaft in front of us, continuing on until it had passed. I glanced inside to see how far down the elevator was. "It looks like it's only one floor below. We can climb in from the top."

"Exactly the plan." Chase replied. I smirked, then swung my legs over the edge of the hole. I glanced back at the boys.

"Did I mentioned I missed working with you guys?" I mentioned, almost laughing, before pushing myself off the edge of the hole.

 **Xxx**

"Alright, my sensors are picking up on fifteen bodies of heat." Chase declared, removing his fingers from his temple. We were in the hall just outside the conference room Dr. Gao was holding the scientists prisoner.

"Wait, why did Gao kidnap those guys anyway?" Leo questioned.

"It doesn't matter. We have to save them." I insisted. Chase nodded.

"But it's impossible to figure out where the hostages are." He mumbled, looking back at us. "We'll be going in blind."

"Maybe there's a way we can-" Leo was cut off as the door to the conference room opened. Quickly, we ducked into a nearby office, leaving the door creaked just enough so we could listen in.

"This is stupid and a waste of our time." The first voice, distinctly female and unfortunately familiar, declared.

"Only in your opinion. You got somewhere to be, Sparky?" That was Sebastian, challenging his colleague.

"Yeah, anywhere but here." Dani insisted. "Why my mother is making us help this guy is beyond me. I mean, she only hired him in the first place to help with the Arcturion, and since we don't have that, I don't get why we're still working with him."

"There's a bigger plan in play." Sebastian assured her. Looking through the crack between the door and the doorframe, I saw Dani cross her arms, annoyed.

"One you won't tell me." She argued. Sebastian looked at her.

"Why do you care so much?" He questioned. "Our job is to follow orders, not ask questions."

"My mother lied to me for years about all of this. I don't like being kept in the dark." Dani snapped irritably. "Especially not when members of my team are keeping things from me."

"Pot, meet kettle." Chase muttered. I silently agreed with him – quite the double standard our old friend had.

"Look, don't worry about it. Gao's found a way to work around our Arcturion problem." Well, that didn't sound ominous at all. "The only reason I know about it is because he used to work with my father and wanted to include me."

"I don't see why you can't tell me." Dani tried a different tactic, dropping her arms and smiling charmingly at Sebastian. He smirked, clearly interested.

"Well, how about this: after we finish up here, we find a nice quiet place away from the compound and we grab a bite to eat? Maybe then I'll tell you."

Did he really just ask her out? Before Dani could respond – I was very curious to hear what she would have said – the door to the conference room opened up again and Mort stepped out. Between his legs, I could see into the room. Several people I didn't recognize, presumably scientists, were all sitting on the ground, Tank and Lexi standing above them. Gao was nowhere to be seen.

"Boss wants you guys." The lizard-like mutant told them. Sebastian followed him in, Dani right behind him. At least she started to follow him, until a soft _thud_ came from right behind us. Turning my head, I saw Leo holding a trash bin, a panicked look on his face. He must have started to get up only to accidently knock it over.

Dani lingered in the hall a moment later, eyes scanning the hall as she tried to locate the cause of the sound. She took a step towards the door, then stopped when Sebastian's voice came from the conference room.

"Short Circuit, c'mon!" He called. She looked around one last time, then thankfully headed into the conference room.

"Sorry." Leo murmured once we were sure they were out of earshot.

"I got a peek inside." I whispered. "Most of the scientists are on the ground, with Tank and Lexi guarding them. No sign of Gao though."

"How many scientists?" Leo questioned. I thought back.

"Eight." I replied. Chase quickly did the math in his head.

"That's only thirteen people we've seen. Gao makes fourteen…he must have another scientist in there." He decided.

"What's the plan?" We all looked at Chase.

"Alright, we charge in there, attack Gao and Bridget's minions right off the bat. If we don't give them a chance to react, we might be able to take them out." He decided. "Okay, so Tank's the strongest, so Adam, he's all yours."

"Yeah!" Adam grinned, already pumped.

"I'll take the lizard guy." Leo offered. "Calla had me run some tests on the gunk stuff he left behind when they attacked then Penthouse and my fire balls are the best thing we've got against his lizard spit."

"You're really offering to fight the guy whose number one ability involves spitting on you?" I questioned. Leo hesitated, realizing that I was right.

"Apparently so." He agreed.

"Chase, you take Sebastian. I want Lexi and Dani." I told the others. Chase looked at me, concerned.

"Both of them?" He questioned. I nodded.

"Lexi was my student before the Rebellion, not to mention a speedster." I reasoned. "And honestly, I'd really like to get a few shots in on Dani."

"Fair enough." Chase agreed. He looked at the rest of us. "Ready?"

We all exchanged looks. "Ready."

 **Dani's POV**

I tapped my foot nervously, trying not to glance towards the door. I hadn't wanted to come here in the first place – my job was to gather information on my mother, not this Gao guy – and now, everything was going to hell. First we kidnap a bunch of nerds so that Gao could force them to help him with some super secret formula, then someone shows up to stop us. None of the others had noticed, but there was definitely someone in the room across the hall. And with my luck, it would be Kaz or something.

Sure enough, barely a few minutes after Sebastian and I had re-entered the room – Gao wanted us to watch the scientists he wasn't currently speaking to so they wouldn't try anything stupid – the door was thrown open. Before anyone could really process what was happening, a blur too fast to identify slammed into me, throwing me to the ground.

All chaos broke loose. Chase charged in, heading straight for Sebastian, his bo staff spinning, while Leo, the Davenport's step brother, targeted Mort with a massive fireball. Adam, the oldest of the Davenport siblings, leapt at Tank, tackling the massive, non-verbal man to the ground, while the blur, the one my mind now realized was Bree, sped away from me to attack Lexi.

Clambering to my feet, I tried to figure a way out of this. I didn't want to fight my team, had been avoiding this situation for months, but there was no way I could not fight them without blowing my cover. Damn it!

"Hey!" Suddenly, Bree lunged at me, clearly switching between Lexi and I to keep us off guard. She shoved me up against the wall, brown eyes glaring into me. I could see how much she hated me for what I'd done to the team. I pushed her off me, then ducked out of the way as she lunged again. She sped off, leaping at Lexi, while I recollected my breath.

The scientists were a mess, some having already ran from the room while others ducked behind the conference table, too scared to really do anything. I watched as Gao grabbed one of the scientists and vanished with him, geoleaping far away. Figures. From what little I knew about the man, he was a coward who only cared about what happened to him. It wasn't a surprise that he'd grab the guy he needed and head back to the safety of his lab.

Bree slammed into me again, this throwing me against the window. I gasped, both relieved and shocked, when the glass didn't break behind me. "Hey!" I gasped, stunned.

"Please, you can fly. _I'm_ not a killer." She snapped. Alright, enough was enough.

"Lexi, round up the scientists!" I snapped before grabbing Bree's shoulders. Using her as leverage, I quickly lifted my feet from the floor to the wall just underneath the window, then pushed off the wall, propelling me towards her. She hadn't been expecting it – Bree had always been one of those act-on-instinct type of girls – and toppled backwards, knocking into Tank. Adam took advantage of Tank's distraction, switching from grappling with the guy to full on taking a swing at his face. The sudden blow knocked Tank off balance and I made a split-second decision. I dropped to my knees, twisting in a way that made it look like I'd hurt my ankle, just in time for Tank to trip over me.

Tank was down, but before Adam could decide whether to help Bree with me or go after Lexi, a large, gross glob of Mort's lizard spit was launched at the bionic hero's chest. The glob, large enough to coat Adam's entire right arm, plastered the limb against the wall right behind him. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see Leo preparing a fire ball. I stood up and was about to cry Mort's name, hopefully distract him enough that Leo's blast made its mark, but Bree's elbow slammed into my shoulder blade, this time dropping me to my knees for real as the air rushed from my lungs.

I coughed and spluttered to regain my breath, even as Bree pulled out a pair of power-nullifying cuffs. Panicking – the last thing I needed was to be caught – I spun around on one leg, using the other to kick her legs out from under her. She tripped, but recovered quickly enough to grab me by the front of the shirt and throw me towards one of the windows again. I ducked at the last minute, but pushed into her, knocking her to the ground rather than letting her momentum push her into the glass.

I dropped back while she recovered, moving to 'help' Mort. So far, this act of helping while really hindering my team was working out pretty well; my team was losing ground in the fight, but it was impossible to pin it on me either. "Hey!" I shouted, lunging at Leo, fist raised. He caught my fist mid-air with his bionic arm, tightening his grip so that it caused just the slightest bit of pain, before grabbing my elbow with his other hand and swinging me into Mort.

I stumbled back a couple of more steps than I should have, forcing Mort back a bit too, just before ducking. A fireball Leo had intended for me hit Mort right in the shoulder, knocking the mutant into the wall, his shirt sleeve smoking slightly. I took a step towards Leo, spinning around at the last minute to send a spinning kick towards his head. He caught my leg mid-air, though that wasn't unexpected, and twisted it. "Ow!" I shouted, resisting as much as I dared. He tightened his grip, then used his bionic arm's super strength to send me towards Sebastian.

The self-elected leader of our group sent a blast of energy at Chase, then one at Leo. "This is a failure. We have to bail." He told me. I ducked as Leo sent another blast of fire at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lexi speed back into the room. She grabbed ahold of Mort's arm and the two of them disappeared into midair.

"What about Tank?" I demanded, noticing that the bigger villain was still unconscious. Sebastian shook his head.

"Leave him!" He retorted. Without giving me a chance to reply, he grabbed my wrist and suddenly, there was a rush of wind, and we found ourselves standing in the middle of our kitchen. I stepped away from Sebastian, taking a shaky breath. "You alright?"

"I hate geoleaping." It felt so weird and knotted my stomach up in a weird way. I took another breath. "Well, that didn't go well."

"Nope." He agreed. He looked at me. "So, who wants to tell your mom?"

 **Bree's POV**

"Alright, thank you." I smiled kindly at the scientist before nodding to the paramedics so they could take him to the hospital. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but many of them were in shock.

"What did he say?" Chase questioned as I walked back over to him, Adam, and Leo.

"The scientist Dr. Gao took was a man named Carson Bosetti, an Italian scientist that was on loan from them from some superhuman investigation team. He's an expert in mutations." I relayed the information. "Gao wanted some formula from him. Don't know what though."

"It had to be important if he kidnapped the guy." Leo said. Chase nodded.

"Yeah. And now that we know that Gao's working with Bridget…who knows what they're planning." He hummed. "It can't be good though."

"No, it can't." Adam agreed. He looked at us. "What are you guys going to do?"

Chase and I exchanged looks, not knowing how to answer him.

 **Dani's POV**

"Hey! Hey Short Circuit!" I stopped on the way to my bedroom, waiting for Lexi as she tried to catch up to me. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, confused why she'd be asking. She gave me a frown.

"I saw you go down earlier. It looked like you sprained your ankle, but you seem to be walking fine now." She mentioned.

"Oh, right. I twisted it earlier, but it wasn't that bad." I lied. "And it's happened enough over the years, what with me playing so much soccer, that I've learned to just work through it."

She nodded. "Oh. Was just wondering. That and why you weren't using your powers."

"It was a tiny room, Lex. You saw how using his powers worked for Mort – he was doing more harm to us than good." Shit, the last thing I needed was for her to be getting suspicious. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry if I'm being pushy, it's just been a crazy day." She gave me a smile. I hesitated; there was something off about that smile, something I didn't like. "So, how was your date with Sebastian?"

"It wasn't a date. Just dinner after a bad day." Even if Sebastian obviously considered it a date, it wasn't. Sure, it wouldn't technically be cheating – Kaz and I were through and no matter how this ended, I doubted that we'd ever be the same as we were before – but I wouldn't date Sebastian if my life depended on it. All I wanted was the information, and now that I had it, all I wanted to do next was send it to Liv.

"Good. Because he's mine." Her fake smile faded and Lexi turned on me, eyes narrowing with displeasure. "Because I know he likes to flirt, but I've been with him since the beginning. He's _mine._ Got it?"

"Trust me, he's all yours." Was this all that this was about? A stupid crush she had on him? She smiled again.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." She smirked and turned on her heel, heading down to her bedroom. I quickly slipped into my own room and shut the door behind me, taking a shaky breath as I leaned my head up against the door. If Lexi started acting all suspicious of me just because she had a thing for that player, she could potentially find out about my meetings with Alivia, and then I'd be screwed six ways to Sunday. I took a breath, trying to calm myself. Once she realized I wasn't interested in him, maybe she'd back off. She'd totally back off…right?

That speedster was going to be the death of me, of that I was sure.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Ooh, will Lexi figure out what Dani's up to? I guess you'll have to find out next chapter! So, what did you guys think? Don't forget to leave a review! Anyway, here's the schedule for the rest of the month:**

 **October 15th: SOS**

 **October 22nd: Homecoming**

 **October 29th: An Elite Q &A**

 **October 31st: Jailbreak**

 **Until then, don't forget to review! See you all next week!**


	31. SOS

**Kihonne: Okay guys, I'm back, and this time I've brought another chapter – SOS! Trust me, it's going to be an exciting one! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you like this one too.**

 **SzymonS: Are you sure you hit the submit review button? I've forgotten to do that before. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially the fight scene. I wanted the chapter to just be the team because it's been a while since we've seen all the siblings together. As for it being 4 against 6, they didn't have any way to know how many bad guys they'd be facing, since they didn't know who they were up against, aside from Gao. As for what Gao's plan is, you're going to have to keep reading to find out. Yes, Tank got captured. Now Bridget's down a man. That should be interesting. As for Dani, yeah, she's definitely going to have a problem with Lexi now that she's set her sights on Sebastian. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked it! Dani honestly wasn't thinking of the comparison between her actions and Sebastian's, she's just thinking that she needs to get Alivia as much information as possible. But Bree and Chase definitely realized the hypocrisy and if you think that this is the last time it'll be brought up, you're wrong. Trust me, they're not going to forget it any time soon. No, Gao wasn't dead, just captured. He escaped along with Sebastian when the bionic rebels broke out of prison. Honestly, I always did see Lexi and Sebastian together. I don't know why, I just did. But Lexi's motivation isn't simply Sebastian. She's a criminal in her own right, and she belongs on Bridget's team as much as he or Tank or Mort does. She's evil, regardless of her feelings for Sebastian. She does had feelings for him and yes, those feelings did play a part in her decision, but I wouldn't say that she's being taken advantage of yet, especially since Sebastian hasn't shown any interest, romantically or sexually, in her. Anyway, you're going to see that developed on soon enough, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like this one too.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you liked it, especially the fact that we got to see the old team back together. I did miss Adam and Leo. No, Gao coming back is not good, not good at all. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! I missed having them together too, though you're right; it's nice to have them work as smoothly now as they did back then. To answer your question, I obscured that on purpose – I didn't want Bree or any of the boys to see what Gao was doing with the scientist, though I should have made it a little more clear that it was 6 bad guys (Gao, Dani, Mort, Tank, Lexi, and Sebastian) and nine scientists.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much! It was fun to have Adam and Leo around again – it makes me miss the old days of the Lab Assistant. You'll get to see more of Horace in the future – he's going to have a few more appearances, particularly in season 3. And unfortunately, you are correct; life rarely works in people's favors. As for the fifth person, it's probably going to be a surprise, but at the same time, once you figure it out, you'll be like 'yep, should have guessed that'. Yep, Gao's back. As for whether or not he has his own agenda in mind, well, it's Gao. What do you think? Now, Lexi and Sebastian, for some reason I just always figured that if they'd lasted longer in the show, they'd be shipped together. Don't know why, but I just do. I'm glad you liked the fight scene and how Dani handled it, as well as Bree's reaction to all of it. And yeah, Calla really should up her passcodes, especially if Leo decided to come for a visit. Uh, yes, Tank was captured by the team. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter so much, and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, it's time for the chapter!**

 **Lexi: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, any and all OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." Sebastian insisted as he and Mort walked into the kitchen/living area. I didn't look up, too focused on the tablet screen before me. Gao had a plan, a big one, and my mother was still keeping that from me. Fine, whatever. I'd figure it out on my own, even if it meant scouring over his personal files for hours on end.

"Yes, because it's not at all a security risk." Mort retorted as I flipped to another file.

"Morning." Lexi greeted cheerfully. "I'm making coffee. Mort, I know you don't drink any, but would you like a cup, Seb?"

"Sure." Sebastian nodded before walking over to me. "What do you think, Sparky?" He questioned. I quickly shut off my tablet's screen, sitting up as if I'd just noticed him.

"Don't call me Sparky." I replied. "And what do I think about what?"

"Tank getting captured. I think Terror is overreacting. Thoughts?" He questioned, leaning on the back of the couch so he could get in closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lexi watching us like a hawk, no a vulture, staring at her prey.

"Honestly? I think my mother and Mort are right. Tank may not be the most talkative person, but he's still a security threat. He could lead them back here, or join them. It's a serious threat, Sebastian." I insisted. Did I believe that? No, not at all. Tank only ever geoleaped to the base, so he couldn't exactly give them a location, nor would he actually switch sides. But if disagreeing with Sebastian helped assure Lexi that I wasn't a threat to her imaginary, then fine by me.

"Well, you suck." Sebastian seemed surprised that I didn't agree with him. "So, what are you doing?"

"Word is, Davenport Industries has something new in the works. I'm just making sure it's not going to be a threat to us."

"And is it?" He inquired. I shook my head and craned my neck to get a better view of him.

"Nope. Not even close." I replied. He nodded, then leaned in closer.

"So, remember that conversation we had yesterday?" He murmured. "The one about me keeping you in the loop in exchange for dinner."

"Right…" I shifted uncomfortably. I hadn't really been interested in the idea in the first place, and had honestly hoped he'd forgotten about it. "About that…"

"What are you guys talking about-shit!" Lexi suddenly cried as one of the mugs she was carrying 'accidently' dipped and spilt hot coffee onto my tablet. I jumped up in surprise, gritting my teeth as coffee bounced off the tablet and onto my pants.

"Lexi!" I shouted, staring.

"I am so sorry. I'm totally a klutz." She apologized, overly sincere. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I bit back a retort and forced a fake smile on my face. Okay, this girl is psycho. I took a deep breath, then looked at Sebastian. "I'm going to go get changed. Excuse me."

The moment I stepped out of the living room, the lights above me sparked and shattered. What a freaking…I hated her. I mean, Bree had told me a bit about how she'd been before the bionic rebellion – highly competitive, deadly fierce, and ridiculously aggressive when she wanted something – but this was next level bitchiness. God, I hoped that the team would take her down first.

I started down the hall towards where the bedrooms were, brushing at my pants with a wince. On the way to my room, I passed by my mother's empty office. Wait, empty?

I stopped in the middle of the hallway, then turned on my heel and walked back a few steps. "Mom?" I called, looking inside. "Mom, you here?"

There was no response. Poking my head inside, I noticed that the office was empty. Right, she'd told us last night that she and Gao would be gone all morning so that they could work on one of their projects. Glancing over my shoulder, I made sure no one was looking before stepping into the office and closing the door behind me.

This could be my chance to find something out about Dr. Gao! Maybe if I could get into her computer, I could download the details on whatever he and my mother were planning and hand them off to Alivia during our meeting tomorrow night. After all, if my mother was working with someone like Gao, someone who she didn't treat like an inferior, they had something big up their sleeves. And whatever it was, Alivia and the team needed to know about it.

I sat down at my mother's desk and turned the screen on. Bypassing her password was easy – before all this, Calla had shown me a technique that could get past most password-locked systems – and before I knew it, I was digging through her files. "Gao, Gao…" I muttered under my breath, trying to find him in the files. Unfortunately, there was nothing about him except for a few surveillance clips. Crap, not what I was hoping for.

I leaned back in the chair, trying to think. I needed to know what they were up. Sighing in frustration, I looked around the room. It was a clean, orderly office, so lacking in decoration that it was practically like no one really used it. It reminded me of her office back home, before her evil plan and the Arcturion screwed everything…that was it. Gao had been hired in the first place to help her with her plans for the Arcturion, and for some reason she'd kept him around, even after she realized that we had the fake. There must have been a reason. Perhaps he'd found a way to accomplish her plans without it. Yes, that must be it. So, if I could figure what they were planning with the Arcturion, maybe I could figure out what they were trying to do now.

I ran a search through her system for the Arcturion, and this time came across several files. Smirking to myself, I opened all of them up, going through them one at a time. The first few files listed things I already knew, such as where the space rock originated from and it's powers…then, right in the middle of the powers section, I found a series of my mother's personal notes. I scanned them carefully, slowly but surely realizing what she was planning to do. "You have got to be kidding me."

This was big. Alivia needed to know about this, ASAP. I quickly shut down my mother's computer, then stood up. I needed to get out of here, then get a message across to Alivia, now. I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed my friends' number. Unfortunately, I got her voicemail. "Liv, hey. We need to talk, like, now. Meet me at the place in two hours, alright? I found something, and it's big."

I hung up and pocketed the phone. Now to erase the security footage and go meet her. I pushed open the door and stepped into the hall…only to find myself face to face with Lexi. I stared at her, startled, while she frowned, looking past me at my mother's office. "…What were you doing in Terror's office?"

"Uh…" Shit, shit, shit, and, did I mention, shit. "Uh, I was looking for her. What's it to you?"

"You were looking for Terror…even though she's going to be gone all morning." She stated carefully.

"I didn't know that." I lied. Lexi looked confused.

"She told us yesterday, gave us all orders…what were you doing in there?" She repeated her question. I hesitated and she smirked. "All I have to do is check the security footage. No point in lying."

I took a breath, then did the only thing I could think of.

I raised my hand and blasted a ball of electricity directly at her. The blast hit her in the stomach, throwing her back into the wall. Without giving her a chance to recover, I darted down the hallway, racing through the kitchen on my way. "Short Circuit, what's up?" Sebastian demanded, surprised to see me. I didn't answer, didn't even slow down. I needed to get out of here, now.

I made it as far as the staircase before I heard Lexi shout. I didn't quite make out what she said, but it sure as hell wasn't 'hey, it's okay, let her go'.

I shoved the door to the stairs open and starting climbing up them, running two at a time. There was no way I would make it out by going through the front. Even if I managed to make my way into the tunnel system, they'd catch me before I could get away, but if I make it up the fire escape and onto the roof, I could make it into the sky and then they'd be powerless to stop me.

Below me, I heard the door open up, and before I could really process what that meant, a blur sped at me, slamming into me and throwing the both of us into the wall to my left. Quickly trying to regain my balance, I reached out and grabbed the metal railing. Lexi reached for it too, intending to use it to pull herself up, but I thought quickly, sending a surge of electrical energy through the conductive material. Then, when she stopped reaching for it, I raised my hand, about to shoot her full of lightning, but suddenly, something heavy and painful, with a faint burning sensation, hit me from behind, sending me to my knees. Before I could recover, Lexi took advantage of the distraction. With inhuman speed, she slammed her elbow into the side of my head. I felt my head collide with something hard, possibly the railings, and that was the last thing I felt for a while.

 **Alivia's POV**

I checked my watch again, for what felt like the hundredth time. Dani had sounded serious over the phone, and I'd done my best to get to the city as fast as I could. I even arrived ten minutes early, a pretty good accomplishment considering how far New York was from Centium City. But now, three hours after Dani had wanted to meet, I was still the only one in the cruddy apartment I'd rented for our little meetings.

Something was wrong, really wrong. Dani wasn't often late, and never this late. And the fact that she wasn't answering my phone calls – I didn't dare text her in case someone saw the message – I was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

 **Dani's POV**

As I slowly came back to my sense, I could feel a dull, aching throb in the side of my head. Confused, I slowly reached up to touch it, only to feel crispy, dried blood underneath my fingertips. What…?

I sucked in a breath and sat up, everything coming back to me at once.

"How are you feeling?" My head snapped to the left, towards my mother's voice. I was sitting on a thin mattress in the middle of one of our interrogation cells, my mother standing on the other side of the power-nullifying bars. Dr. Gao was a few feet behind her, leaning against an unmarked wall holding a small, handheld device. I scrambled to my feet, allowing a little of my panic to seep through the cracks.

"Mom. I…Lexi and Sebastian, they just…" I tripped over my own words, freaked out. This was the last thing I needed, the worst-case possibility of all of this. Mom raised a hand, stopping me.

"I saw the security footage, Danica." She told me, her tone cold. I gulped nervously, then not so subtly looked over my shoulder. A part of me had been hoping for something I could use to escape, but, just as the other part of me had predicted, my cell was windowless and without any means of getting out. Hell, the only thing in there was my mattress. "Would you like to tell me what you accessed on my computer?"

"No, not really." I answered honestly. She raised an eyebrow, though not surprised.

"It'll be easy enough to get the details later. But I assume you were looking for information." She gave me a bittersweet smile, a knowing smirk. "You never did stop fighting for the Elite Force, did you?"

Well, my cover was already busted. No point in pretending now, was there? "Did you really think I would?" I challenged, crossing my arms. "Really, mother, did you really think I'd ever fall for your tricks?"

"Tricks?" My mother echoed, seeming vaguely offended. "I didn't use any tricks on you, Danica. I told you nothing but the truth." I scoffed. "I promised you that we could make the world a safer place, did I not?"

"Safer?" I repeated, before letting out a short, dark laugh. "You call this safer? Please. I know what your plan is, Mom." She stopped, a little surprised. "You're going to kill every single hero out there, and then take over the planet for yourself. I don't call that safe, Mother, I call that a dictatorship."

"It can't be both?" She questioned.

"Historically, not at all. Not for everyone." I snapped. She gave me a saddened look.

"We could have worked together. We could have ruled, together, my dear." She told me, disappointed. I shook my head.

"That was never going to happen. You want to know why?" I questioned, taking a step towards the bars so that we were only a few inches apart. "Because I am never going to be the daughter that you want. And I am so damn proud of that."

I turned around and stepped away from the bars, crossing my arms behind my head. "The Elite Force will defeat you." I tossed over my shoulder. "When the dust clears and the fight is over, they'll be the winners and you'll have lost everything. So, I suggest you quit now while you're ahead."

I heard my mother sigh. "I was hoping we could do this together Danica, as mother and daughter, but you've left me no choice."

Suddenly, the familiar buzz that came along with the powerful bars disappeared and I heard the bottom of the cell door scrape along the door. I spun around to see Gao enter the cell, holding up the device. "What is that?" I demanded, back up until my back hit the wall. He continued to approach me.

"Just one of Gao's inventions. Don't worry, it won't hurt." Mom assured me. "It'll just make you a little more obedient."

Well, that didn't sound good. I lunged forward, hoping to take the device out of his hand and use it for myself. He grabbed my arm as I reached for it, but I'd been expecting that, and slammed him into the bars, causing him to drop the device. Before he could scoop it back up, I stepped on it hard, digging the back of my heel into it as I crushed it to small, useless pieces. Enraged, he shoved me back and suddenly, something invisible grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up against the wall, Darth Vader style. I spluttered and gasped, reaching for my throat in a vain attempt to dislodge the telekinetic grasp.

Mom let it go on for a long couple of moments, then sighed loudly. "Enough, Doctor." She said sternly. Reluctantly, Gao released me and I dropped back to the ground, landing roughly on the ground. I leaned up against the back wall, one hand massaging my neck as my mother turned to Gao. "How long will it take to rebuild the device?"

"A few days." He replied, sending me a hateful glare. "I'll have to wait for parts to come in."

"Inform me when it's done." She ordered. He nodded and walked way in a huff as my mother turned back to me. She looked me over once.

"Love your co-workers." I commented sarcastically, my voice rough. She nodded, having expected nothing less than a sarcasm filled remark.

"Danica, I know you don't appreciate what I've done for you, but you will be by my side when I take over the super-power empire, whether by your own will or by mine." She declared before turning around and walking away. I gulped nervously, looking around the cell.

I was so screwed. I mean, now that she knew that I was a spy, there was no way she'd give me the chance to escape. But I had to try. If not because of Gao's history with the Triton App, then because of the still-drying stain in the cement, obviously left there by the last prisoner Gao had placed in this cell. I didn't know what had happened to that scientist, but if I didn't get out of here soon, I had a feeling I would end up just like him.

 **Kaz's POV**

"No, no, no. This is obviously oil paint." Jaden insisted. He and Calla were helping Bree study for her art history final, the last exam she needed to take to get her degree, but apparently it wasn't going so well. "C'mon, Bree, you know this stuff."

"I know, I know. Sorry, I'm just tired." She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ugh, I've got a headache."

"I'll grab you some Asprin." Calla offered, getting up. She walked past me on her way up the stairs to grab some medicine. Skylar and Chase were sitting at one of the tables off to the side of the room, the latter teaching our favorite alien the rules of chess, while Oliver worked on his tablet.

We weren't talking again, though that shouldn't be much of a surprise. I'd told him about Dani, but he didn't believe me, and why would he? I had no proof, and this was hardly the first theory I'd come up with since she left. Still, I'd hoped that he'd even consider it before dismissing it and me for trying to give him what he called 'false hope'.

I looked up from my video game when there was a sudden knock on the door. Glancing at the others, I realized that no one had moved to get it, so I sighed dramatically – why do I have to do everything – and got up to answer it. The knocking came again, this time more insistent. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

I opened the door up to reveal Alivia McLean, the leader of the New League of Heroes. I crossed my arms, displeased to see her. "Geminus. You need something?"

"Can I come in?" She requested. "It's important."

"We're busy." I told her.

"No, we're not." Calla commented, giving me a confused look as she passed me. She smiled at Alivia. "Hey, Alivia."

The redhead went to step into the Penthouse, but I blocked her. "Look, Alivia, I-"

"Kaz, remember how you said you'd hold me responsible if something went wrong?" She questioned, her tone solemn. I stared at her, a feeling of dread rising up within me. "Well this is me taking responsibility."

This time, I stepped back to let her pass. She walked into the penthouse, and looked around. "Guys, we need to talk."

 **Xxx**

Once everyone was settled, Alivia started talking. "So, a couple of years ago, right after Bridget Short came out as Mr. Terror, the League of Heroes approached me with an idea." The redhead explained, pacing the floor while we all listened. "They decided that the best way to defeat Mr. Terror with the least amount of casualties was to get someone on the inside to betray her."

"Oh God." Oliver's face paled, a look of realization crossing it. He glanced at me, horrified.

"So you tried to turn one of the villains working for her?" Bree questioned. Alivia shook her head.

"No, they didn't think they'd be able to find anyone she'd trust that we could turn. So, they asked me to help them put someone on the inside." She continued. She stopped pacing and looked at us all, guilty. "Someone who Terror would trust inexplicitly, but someone who the League could be sure would do everything in their power to stop Terror. There were only two people that fit the bill, and only one of them was capable of doing the job."

"Dani." Chase realized, the answer dawning on him. The others all exchanged looks of disbelief. "You're telling us that she…"

"Is an undercover agent, secretly working for the New League of Heroes, yes." Alivia confirmed. She paused to give us all a moment to process the news. Skylar looked stunned, as did Jaden, though Bree looked confused. Calla and Chase both had this hyper-focused look on their faces, like they were trying to connect all the pieces of the puzzle, while Oliver just looked shell-shocked. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, and clearly we made some mistakes-"

"She betrayed us." Skylar insisted. "You both did. You lied to us for months, maybe even years, and you're just going to call that a little mistake?"

"And what about the Arcturion? You're telling me that Dani purposely tried to hand her mother the most powerful weapon in the world just to keep her cover?" Jaden added. Calla shook her head, interrupting before Alivia could answer.

"Except…Wasn't it Dani who took the Arcturion to Facility X in the first place?" She questioned, nodding to herself. "She must have switched them out, right?"

"I had a friend of mine from Philadelphia make us a fake. She thought it was a center piece for a wedding, but it was the perfect duplication." Alivia added.

"Where's the real one?" Chase inquired.

"The vault under Mighty Med 2.0." Alivia admitted, shrugging.

"You put it under MM2?" Oliver questioned. He looked at her, another thought occurring to him. "Does Horace know?"

"He knows everything." She replied. When she saw the looks on all of our faces, she quickly added, "I only told him after she left your team. And the only reason I told him at all was in case something happened to me. She needed someone who could back her up if she ever came back here, or at the very least, patch her up if something bad happened."

"I suppose that makes sense." I grumbled under my breath. I didn't like that we were some of the last people to know, but at least Alivia was somewhat looking out for Dani's wellbeing.

"So you guys lied to us. Both of you lied to us." Oliver accused. Alivia gave him an apologetic smile.

"We had to. Look, you guys have every right to be pissed at us, but this was only going to work if it looked like Dani completely betrayed you, and we couldn't be sure that one of you wouldn't accidently reveal the truth." She told us.

"Thanks for having so much faith in us." Bree grumbled.

"Why are you telling us now?" Chase questioned, leaning back in his chair. Alivia looked at him. "Well, if it was SO important that we not know, then there's got to be reason you're telling us now."

Alivia nodded stiffly. She glanced at me, shame in her eyes, before answering. "Three days ago, Dani called me and said she had some information for me. It had to have been big, considering we were supposed to meet up the next day anyway. But she never showed." I sat up, looking at her. Alivia shook her head, a faraway look in her eyes. "She hasn't shown up at our spot for days, nor is she answering any of my calls."

"You think something happened to her." It wasn't a question. Alivia nodded.

"Look, I know you guys are pissed, and you're right to be, but she could be in trouble. Big trouble." She insisted. Oliver raised his hand, cutting her off. After a moment, he spoke, his tone worried.

"I can't reach her telepathically." He told us. Skylar looked at him, her brow furrowed.

"How is that any different than the past few months?" She questioned.

"That was when she wasn't responding. But I could still…feel her." He explained. "I could still sense her up here." He gestured at him temple. "But now…nothing."

"We have to go get her." I declared, getting to my feet. The others all hesitated. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's not that simple." Calla told me gently. She looked at Alivia. "What if she's not in trouble, just unable to communicate outside wherever she is? If we go in after her, we could blow her cover and then we could all be in trouble. It might be safer for everyone, Dani included, if we let her handle it."

"No, no." I retorted, shaking my head. "If we don't go after her, she could die. We need to save her. Oliver," I turned to my best friend, "Dude, she's your sister."

"Yeah, and my sister's a badass." He added, looking at me. "She can handle mostly everything that goes her way. Calla might have a point."

"But if she has been caught, then she's surrounded by god knows how many dangerous criminals." Bree pointed out. I gestured at her, glad to have someone on my side.

"Bridget wouldn't let her own daughter come to harm." Skylar argued.

"But it's not just Bridget, is it? Lexi and Sebastian are both dangerous." Jaden reminded everyone. "And they're not exactly known for their respect for authority."

"Yes, but-" Oliver began, but Chase stood up, cutting her off.

"We vote then." He declared. "That's the best way to decide this, right?"

No one argued with him. "Okay then." Chase nodded. "Now, all in favor of risking Dani's cover, which may or may not be blown, to rescue her?"

 **Dani's POV**

I paced my cell nervously, glancing at the door every couple of seconds. It had been a few days since I'd broken Gao's device, and I knew it wouldn't be long before he finished. If he finished that, I doubted very much he'd give me the opportunity to break it again.

I glanced towards the door, wondering if I could try and escape again. I'd tried a number of times – eleven failed attempts in two and a half days, that had to be a record or something – but each and every time they'd been ready. There were cameras in my cell, I knew that, and someone must have been monitoring them, because every time I'd made it out of my cell, Lexi, Sebastian, Gao, or Mort had been there to take me back to my cell. They each had their own methods: Lexi and Gao were both merciless, choosing to knock me out to make it easier for them to deal with, while Sebastian and Mort liked to drag me still conscious to my cell so that they could see the look of hate on my face when I got locked up again.

God, I was screwed. I was so freaking screwed. Gao was going to come in here any minute now and turn me into one of his mindless goons and then I'd really end up fighting my team…I stopped short, suddenly realizing something. If Gao took control of me, I'd fight them and I'd do anything he or my mother asked, no questions about it. There were a million things they could make me do, and the others, they'd never forgive me for any of it. Ollie would hate me forever…Kaz would hate me.

"Don't freak, don't freak." I ran my hands threw my hair, forcing myself to take a deep breath. Panicking would do me no good right now. Panicking would make me powerless, and I couldn't let them win that easily. If they were going to take me down, I was going to go down fighting. Yeah, blaze of glory style. What was that line from that book series I used to love? Oh right: free or death. Well, yeah, I was down for that.

Suddenly, the entire base shook violently, the sound of something exploding causing my mother's base of operations to react like it would to an earthquake. Dust fell from the ceiling and the lights went out as I fell to my knees, startled. Once the shaking stopped, I jumped to my feet, lunging towards the cell's bars, while making sure not to touch them. "Hey! What's going on?" I shouted, hoping that someone would give me an answer. I didn't have a guard to my cell, but someone had always been close enough to stop me from escaping, so surely someone was close enough to keep me updating. "Hey! Hey, is anyone there?"

There was a long moment of silence, then something started to move in the darkness. Wary that it might be Gao, I stepped back until an all-too-familiar face came into the light. I stared, stunned, as he chuckled. "Now, before you say anything, I think I'm the perfect size for a storm trooper, right?"

I stared, mouth open in shock. "Dee, you alright?" Kaz added, concerned as he pulled out a set of tools.

I stared at him for a moment longer. "Kaz?" I breathed, bewildered. He smirked, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards at the sound of my voice.

"Liv came to us when you didn't check in. Now, Chase showed me how to do this," He stuck a pair of metal sticks into the lock of the door. "We have to hurry though – that explosion that Skylar and Calla set up won't distract them for long, and we don't have enough manpower to take them all on here, alright?"

"Kaz?" I whispered again, still processing the fact that he was here, he was here and he was here for me, and he came for me, and…and…

"Don't worry. Give me a second." He promised. There was a click and his entire face lit up. "Yes!"

He grabbed the cell door and pulled it open, and the moment that obstacle was gone, I threw myself at him, arms around his neck as I buried my face in his shoulder. I heard him chuckle in surprise, one arm wrapping around my back. I adjusted my face so that my mouth was near his ear and whispered the one thing I'd wanted to say to him since before I even joined my mother. "Please don't hate me."

Kaz hesitated, caught off guard by my request, before responding. "Never." He promised me. "Never."

And suddenly, it was like this huge weight had lifted off my shoulders. I stepped back, staring at him. He gave me a reassuring smile. "Look, I'm not saying I'm not mad, but I don't hate you. I will never hate you, Dee. Okay?" I nodded numbly and he smiled again, this time offering me his hand. "Now, ready to get out of here?"

"You have no idea." I told him, taking his hand.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, so Dani's back! But don't worry, it won't be an uncomplicated return, that's for sure. Though some of them will forgive her, Dani's going to have to work hard to make up for what she's done. But before any of that, I want to hear your opinion! What did you think of the chapter? Good, bad? Something in between? I really want to hear your opinion. Anyway, here's the update schedule for the next few updates:**

 **October 22** **nd** **: Homecoming**

 **October 29** **th** **: An Elite Q &A**

 **October 31** **st** **: Jailbreak**

 **Kihonne: Alright, I'll see you guys next week for part two of this two part chapter, Homecoming!**


	32. Homecoming

**Kihonne: What's up, guys? This time, it's time for Homecoming! It didn't turn out exactly how I planned it – actually, it hardly resembles the original plans – but I like how it turned out, and I hope you do to. Anyway, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Yes, Dani's back home with the people she cares about. It's going to be pretty interesting having her back.**

 **LabGirl2001: Yes, Kani is back together. It's going to be fun to have them back together. Yes, Gao's got his Triton App device back – that should make things interesting. And no, it won't be an easy return for Dani, but you're right about her getting to explain her side of the story.**

 **Algernon23: I'm so sorry to hear that. If you want to talk about it, please PM. I'm always here to chat. Anyway, I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! I'm glad you're excited for part 2. I think it turned out pretty cool, and kind of intense too. As for Gao, he is certainly going to make things more difficult for the Elite Force. Oh, and thanks for letting me know about the names – I'll have notes like that in my endnote area and if I forget to delete them, they'll appear in the chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you liked that scene the most – it was one of my favorites too. And yeah, it would have been pretty bad if Gao had really managed to turn Dani against her friends, though thankfully she's safe now. As for Alivia, trust me, she knows what she did wasn't something a friend would do, and she'll make it up to Dani, eventually. As for the new invention that Gao's working on, if it works, it will give the bad guys one hell of a shot at beating the team. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover117: Thanks! Enjoy!**

 **MayLeaf2001: If you thought that was intense, you're going to love one of the scenes I've got in this chapter. I figured Horace should know, partially for the reasons already listed, but also because Dani's going to have a lot of making up to do to her old team, and she needs someone, aside from Kaz, who's 100% on her side about things. Oh, and what Dani found out is pretty deadly to the team – you'll find out this chapter though. I'm glad you liked that Alivia fessed up in order to save Dani. Alivia's made some mistakes, but she's always been the responsible type of person who'd take the fall for them. No, the bad guys are not going to be too happy when they find out, that's true. As for the rest of the team, everyone's going to be reacting in different ways. Some of the team is actually on Dani's side when it comes to things, some of them are pretty neutral, and some of them are going to be pretty upset. You'll get a pretty good view of where most people stand in this chapter, though I'm going to explore more of that throughout the rest of the season. But yeah, some of them are definitely going to need some time before things go back to normal, IF things go back to normal at all. Don't apologize for reviewing late – I totally get it about reading the chapter first then reviewing later, and who am I to judge considering that the chapter itself was late? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Oh, before I forget, READ THE SECOND AUTHOR'S NOTE. It's important. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Dani: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, any and all OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

I tapped my foot against the ground impatiently, staring at the clock as I counted down the seconds. It was early in the morning, with no one else actually awake. Reasonably, I should be asleep too – even I slept in on Saturdays – but I hadn't been able to sleep last night, not after everything went down.

 **Flashback Begins**

 _I bit my lip nervously, sitting alone in the armchair, while the others all looked at me. I felt like a kid who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, except it was like a thousand times worse._

 _After a few moments, I broke the awkward silence. "So, are you guys going to yell at me, or like…" I trailed off, especially when Kaz gave me a look._

" _No one's going to yell." He promised._

" _Correction. Kaz is not going to yell." Bree interrupted. "The rest of us on the other hand…what the hell, Dani?"_

" _Yeah, that's fair." I agreed._

" _I think what Bree's trying to say is, we don't understand what you were thinking." Calla added, sending Bree a look. "You could have gotten killed."_

" _You should have told us what was going on." Chase was by far the calmest of the group._

" _Screw that, you shouldn't have done it in the first place." Ollie snapped angrily. I winced at his tone of voice._

" _Look, you want an apology? I am sorry, sincerely sorry, that I lied and deceived all of you. And I am sorry that I hurt you. I know that doesn't fix things, not even close, but right now, in this moment, that's all I've got to offer." I sighed before looking at my brother. "But I won't apologize for everything else that I did. I did that because I felt it was right thing to do and I stand by that, whether you agree or not."_

 _The others all exchanged looks. It was impossible to tell what they were all thinking._

" _Look, I don't think we should be focusing on what Dani did." Kaz began._

" _Of course you'd say that." Skylar interrupted._

" _Kaz has a point." Alivia intervened. She gave me a reassuring smile before addressing the others. "What's done is done. Right now we should be focusing on what's important: Gao and Terror's plan."_

 _Skylar sighed audibly, then turned back to me. "What are they planning? Why do they want the Arcturion?"_

" _Well, you know how the Arcturion is the most powerful thing in the galaxy? It can do pretty much anything." I began. Calla nodded._

" _Even bestow powers." She added. I nodded._

" _And, hypothetically, destroy them too." I continued. "They want to destroy everyone's powers but their own."_

" _That would leave us with one hell of a disadvantage." Jaden murmured. Oliver frowned, confused._

" _But powers can't be destroyed." He declared, bewildered. Calla, Chase, Jaden, and Bree all looked at him, equally confused but for different reasons._

" _Um, what?" Bree laughed in befuddlement. She gestured at Skylar. "Hello, living proof that they can be destroyed."_

" _No." Skylar shook her head. "My powers were taken, not destroyed; powers can be stolen or given away, but not destroyed."_

" _Like the law of the conservation of energy." Chase realized. Now it was our turn to stare. He sighed audibly, like he often did when we didn't understand what he considered to be 'simple'. "Energy can not be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed."_

" _So the Arcturion is the only thing that can destroy powers." Alivia hummed thoughtfully._

" _But Gao thinks he can re-create that ability. The scientist he grabbed a few days ago was a Dr. Carson Bosetti. He specializes in human enhancement." Dani relayed. Alivia frowned._

" _Bosetti…I-That name sounds familiar to me." She said, thinking deeply. "What happened to him?"_

" _I don't know. I tried to find out, but they wouldn't tell me. Nothing good though." I swallowed thickly, wishing I'd been able to save that scientist. "But from what I understand, he was trying to find a technological way to destroy powers. I guess they gave up on trying to find where we hid the Arcturion."_

" _Well, the good news is, we blew up what we think was their lab, so that should slow them down." Calla offered._

" _She's got a point." Kaz agreed, still trying to be positive. God, I loved that about him._

" _Alright." Chase placed his hands on the back of the couch. "It's been a long day, and there's not really anything we can do about it tonight. So everyone get some rest, alright?"_

 **Flashback Ends**

I was drawn out of my thoughts when the oven beeped. Smiling, I grabbed the oven mitts and bent down to pull out the tray. "You've got to be kidding me…are you really doing this?" Kaz questioned, more than slightly exasperated. I glanced over my shoulder to see him leaning over the kitchen counter. "Dee, you don't have to make everyone breakfast."

"Yes, I do." I stood up, placing the tray on the top of the stove. I could hear sounds coming from upstairs as the rest of the team started to get up. Kaz looked at me and shook his head. "Look, I have to start earning people's forgiveness, and if the first step to doing that is to bribe everyone with food, then so be it."

"Dani, seriously, you apologized already. You don't have-is that bacon?" Kaz cut himself off, leaving further across the counter to get a better a look. "You made bacon?"

"Try some." I plucked a piece off the tray, thankful that it wasn't TOO hot, and handed it to him. He inspected it for a moment, confused.

"You made bacon? Miss save-the-animals, meat-is-for-murderers made bacon?" He questioned, staring at me. He frowned deeply. "What did they do to you?"

"Try some." I insisted. He looked hesitantly at me, then slowly took a bite of the bacon. His face cleared.

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense." He commented, nodding to himself as Calla and Chase came down the stairs.

"Do I smell coffee?" The girl genius questioned, walking into the kitchen, confused. I nodded eagerly, grabbing two steaming mugs and handing them to the couple.

"And pancakes, eggs, and bacon." I added, smiling brightly before carrying plates out to the counter. I saw Calla and Chase exchanged looks.

"…Thank you?" Calla replied before leaning forward so that she could look at Chase with my view of her face blocked. She must have mouthed something to him, because he shrugged in response.

"So, how're you feeling?" Chase questioned, gesturing at my face, or more specifically, the black eye I was failing at hiding behind my bangs. Once again, I regretted the way I cut my hair – Mom had liked it, so it served its purpose, but I missed the way it could hide my face when I wanted it to. I shrugged in response to Chase. "That looks like it hurts."

"Oh, it's nothing." I assured him.

"Alright. Thanks for breakfast." Calla picked up a piece of bacon off her plate. She popped in her mouth, only to spit it into a tissue a minute later. "Okay that is not bacon."

"Yes, it is." I insisted. She looked at me like I was crazy. "Well, it's tofurkey bacon."

"Ew." Calla made a face.

"I'll take it." Kaz offered. Calla shrugged and handed him her plate so he could scrape the bacon onto his own. He handed it back just as Chase looked at me.

"Alright, so I've got a couple of ideas about how we can stop Gao from removing anyone's powers." He told us. "I'm thinking I can create something that will lock our powers down, kinda like how you can lock down a TV recording on a DVR so it won't accidently be deleted."

"You going to need some help with that?" Calla inquired. He shook his head.

"Nah, I've got it. Besides, don't you and Bree have plans?" He questioned.

"Yeah, but, this is more important, if it keeps Gao from kicking our asses down the line." She insisted.

"What were your plans?" I asked. Calla looked at me sharply. I raised my hands. "Just curious."

"Uh, sorry. Bree hasn't really felt like herself lately – I figure she's just stressed out about her final exam and getting her diploma – so I booked us a spa day."

"Seriously, Cals, go. It's fine. Have fun." Chase insisted.

"Fine. But call me if you need anything." Calla kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to go get dressed. See you guys later."

"See you." "Bye." Kaz and I replied as she jogged towards the stairs.

"Morning." Calla greeted as she passed Skylar and Ollie on the stairs.

"Hey." Skylar greeted. I smiled at her, then at my brother.

"I made breakfast." I offered cheerfully.

Ollie didn't answer, instead grabbing himself a mug, pouring himself a coffee, and grabbing an apple before going out onto the veranda.

"Not hungry." Skylar told me, unapologetically, grabbing herself a coffee before following him. I watched them go, a little hurt, though understanding why they weren't too happy with me.

"Uh…good luck with them. I'll be in mission command." Chase offered. "Feel free to join me if things get too cold up here for your liking."

"Thanks." I nodded at him appreciatively as he headed for the elevator. Kaz sighed audibly and stood up.

"I'm going to go talk to him." He declared.

"No, you're not." I stopped him. He gave me a look. "He's mad at me for something I did. I don't want you getting involved."

"You did what you thought was right. How can he be mad at you for that?" He questioned, annoyed.

"You can't tell someone how to feel, Kaz. And he's got every right to be mad at me. I need to earn his trust back." I told him. "But Ollie s my brother and he's mad at something I did, so what happens between us is between us, okay? I need to work things out with him on my own. Okay?"

Kaz sighed reluctantly. "Fine."

"Thank you." I kissed him on the cheek, before going to turn off the stove. Alright, time to try and get things back to normal.

 **Kaz's POV**

I whistled to myself as I walked down the street, carrying a bag full of groceries. Dani was back, for the first time in months, and even though I knew a few of the others were still mad at her, I still figured it was cause for celebration. Hence the trip to the store for a special desert for tonight.

"Here boy! Here! Where are you?" I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, one eyebrow raised as I watched Jaden wander around the street, calling aimlessly as he shook a bag of dog treats. Jaden turned around to try in my direction, to try finding whatever or whoever it was he was looking for. He stopped short when he saw me, to which I responded with a confused shrug. "Kaz, thank God. I need your help."

"With finding your lost marbles?" I questioned smirking.

"Try my lost dog." He replied, frowning back at me. "Glitch got out while I was showering, and if I don't find him before Bree comes back from her spa day, she's going to kill me."

"Don't you have a tracker in his skin or collar?" I questioned. Jaden gave me a look.

"If there was a tracker, do you really think I'd be out here shouting in hopes that he'd come?" He questioned rhetorically. I raised my hands in the universal surrender motion and he sighed. "Sorry, just we never had a need for it before. He's never run away before."

"You need some help?" I offered. He nodded.

"Please." He added.

 **Dani's POV**

"Hey!" I smiled brightly, walking onto the veranda where Ollie was filling out some paperwork. A large stack of files sat next to him on the table. "Where's Skylar?"

"Out. Helping Jaden and Kaz." He replied shortly. I bit my lip before forcing the smile back on my face.

"Well, I got fro-yo. It's hazelnut – your favorite." I offered him the frozen desert. "And I got it in a cup so you can work while you have it."

"I'm cutting down on dairy." He brushed me off without looking up from his work. A little disappointed, I tried to keep up with the positive act.

"That looks like a lot of work there. You want some help? It's been ages since I've done anything doctor-like."

"I've got it." He assured me. I glanced down at my feet, kicking a small pebble away from me.

"Well, uh…after, do you wanna go see a movie? We can grab Kaz, check out that new superhero flick. Just like old times."

"Dani." He raised his head, his tone annoyed. "Go away."

I sighed. "No." I stood my ground. "Not until you talk to me."

"I don't want to talk." He reached for another file. I lunged forward, snatching it out of his hands, forcing him to finally pay attention.

"Well, too bad. I'm sorry, Oliver. I am." I insisted. "How do I fix this?"

"I don't know." He replied, standing up to try and take the file from me. I held it just out of his reach, glad that I was the taller sibling.

"Please, Ollie, I miss my twin." I insisted. He looked at me, really looked at me for the first time since I'd been back.

"You miss your twin?" He repeated incredulously. I nodded. "Well, I guess that didn't occur to you when you ditched us for Alivia's mission, did it?"

"Ollie-" I began, but he cut me off.

"No, you want to talk, fine. You left, Dani, you ditched us to do a favor for Alivia. Which would be fine, but Alivia's not the only person in your life. Did you ever stop and think what this would do to the team? To Kaz? To me?" He demanded. "Don't bother answering, I know you didn't. You probably worried what we'd think, sure, but how this would actually affect us? No way in hell did you put any serious thought into that. Because you don't think. Never!"

"That's not fair." I tried.

"No, you want to know what's not fair? It's not fair that I had to spend nearly an entire year thinking that my sister was evil, that the only family I had left abandoned me for her own selfish reasons. It's not fair that I had to listen to my best friend moon over you, trying to figure out what he could have changed to make you stay or what was wrong when the truth was you left of your free will. It's not fair that I lost the two most important people in my life because you wanted to do this on your own. That's not fair, Dani." He growled. "So you don't get to pull the 'I miss my twin' card when the only reason this happened is because you made a crappy decision."

"I'm sorry." I whispered, the only thing I could think to say.

"Sorry doesn't cut it." He toned down a bit, but I could tell he was still fuming on the inside. "And neither does food or movies. You screwed up, Dani. And yeah, Alivia is partly responsible, but you are a grown woman who is capable of saying no. That's all you had to do. Or hell, you could have brought us into your plan. At least then, I wouldn't be stuck between wondering if you were off killing someone or getting yourself killed on our mother's behalf."

"I am _not_ a killer!" I snapped. I took a breath, trying not to get emotional. "And telling you would have only jeopardized the plan."

"Because I'm such a bad liar?" Ollie guessed. I nodded, and he gave me an exasperated look. "You really think I couldn't have figured something out to keep anyone from finding out? My sister's life in danger and I can't figure out how to keep a secret? God, you don't even know me anymore."

"What do you want me to say?" I demanded, at the end of my rope.

"There's nothing to say, Dani. You can't fix this." He told me, seriously, before grabbing his files and walking away.

 **Bree's POV**

"Mmm, I needed this." I hummed happily as Calla and I sat down for lunch. "Why don't we do spa days more often?"

"Because we never have time and it's not really my kind of thing?" Calla shrugged. "But every once in a while, you're right, they can be fun."

"You need to loosen up more." I told her bluntly.

"Right back at you. Jaden mentioned you weren't sleeping well." She commented. I sighed. "Don't get mad at him. He knows we're best friends and wanted to know if there was something bugging you. I told him I didn't think so."

"Thank you." I replied. She looked at me, concerned.

"So…did I lie to him? Is there something up?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Just haven't been feeling right lately. I think it's just a stomach bug." I brushed it off. "So, how are things?"

"You mean with me, or at the Penthouse?" She guessed. I chuckled softly.

"First night that Dani's been back, must have been awkward. Kinda glad I moved out." I commented. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Well, she didn't go to bed. Pretty sure she slept on the couch rather than go back to her old room. I think she was trying to avoid Skylar; she and Oliver are pretty pissed off at her." Calla shrugged, picking up her menu. I did the same, scanning the items on the lunch menu. "She was making breakfast for everyone when I got up."

"Really? God she must feel guilty." I smiled sympathetically, putting down the menu. "Oliver and Skylar need to lay off. I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled with Dani, but I get why she did it."

"You got do what's right, and nowadays it's not exactly straightforward." Calla agreed. She wrinkled her forehead as she thought. "I don't just get why she did it, I respect it – it takes a lot of commitment to do something so crazy – but I get why they're mad."

"So, what now?" I questioned. "Do we forgive her? Is she our friend again? Like what's next?"

Calla considered it for a long time. "Forgive her? Yeah, I do. But I don't trust her."

"I-" I stopped as a waitress walked over.

"Hi, I'm Meg. Are you guys ready to order?" She asked, notepad ready.

"Yeah, I'll have a club sandwich, with a Pepsi. Oh, and a side of fries." Calla requested. "Thanks."

"No problem. And for you?" The waitress asked, turning to me.

"A BLT please, with extra mayonnaise. And just water." I replied. She smiled, took down the order, and walked away in the direction of the kitchen. Calla frowned at me.

"I thought you hated mayo?" She questioned. I shrugged.

"Jaden's been trying some new stuff at home and I guess it must be affect my palate." I replied just as my phone buzzed to let me know I'd gotten a text.

"Speak of the devil?" Calla guessed as I checked it. I frowned, confused as I read it.

"Uh, AJ, actually. He found Glitch." I replied. Calla raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did Glitch need finding?" Calla questioned, confused.

 **Dani's POV**

"He hates me!" I declared, walking into mission command. Chase looked up from working on a small, flat metallic rectangle. "He hates me."

"He does not hate you." Chase assured me calmly. I looked at him.

"Do you even know who I'm talking about?" I questioned accusingly. He paused for a moment.

"No." He admitted. I nodded, having expected that. "But if I had to take a guess, you're talking about Oliver, right?"

"He hates me." I repeated, dropping into one of the chairs and burying my head in my arms. "And he's completely right."

"Dani." Chase said my name in a stern tone, causing me to look up. "Two important things: one, Oliver does not hate you, he is just mad. Two, whatever he said, he didn't mean it."

"Let's see…I ditched the team without thinking of what would happen, I abandoned Kaz and him, I lied and betrayed all of you, and I can't blame any of this on Liv because I was the one who agreed."

"Alright, maybe all that is true, but you can't just focus on the negative." Chase put down his work and gave me a kind smile. "Did you believe that what you did gave us a better chance at stopping Bridget? Do you think that what you did made a difference in the fight against the supervillains? Do you believe that it was the right thing to do"

"Yes, but-" He shook his head, not letting me finish.

"Yes." He agreed. "Dani, what you did was good. Maybe not all of it, but in the end, you did what you set out to do. And if that means doing a couple of difficult things along the way, well then you're just going to have to live with it."

"But Ollie…" I trailed off, not sure what to say there.

"Oliver needs time. Just let him forgive you in his own time, alright?" Chase gave me a smile. "Right now, just focus on the good things, like the advantage your information gave us or the fact that Kaz couldn't be happier that you're back, and keep going from there."

I considered his advice for a while, then sniffed and gave him a lopsided smirk. "You know, I'm starting to get why Calla married you."

He chuckled at that. "I am pretty amazing." He agreed, earning a genuine laugh from me. He jerked his head at his device. "Now come on. I could use a hand working on my project."

 **Kihonne: Okay folks, next week is the Q &A. You know this works: submit as many questions as you can think of, to any of the characters within the story. I'll have them answer most of them, unless the question is inappropriate or for some other unforeseen reason. You can submit as many questions you want, for as many characters as you'd like, or even submit multiple questions for one character. This is the LAST Q&A I will be doing for this story (I know I said that last time, but this time I'm serious), so this is your LAST chance to submit questions. Submit them either through PM or review, it's up to you, but just know that you have until 9PM EST on October 31** **st** **to submit them, as I'll be posting the chapter soon after that, with the Halloween chapter, Jailbreak, being posted almost right after that. Anyway, I think that's it. Most of you know how this works by now, anyway. I'll see you all you guys in a week from now. Until then, don't forget to ask questions and I hope you liked the chapter!**


	33. Train Job

**Kihonne: Okay guys, it's time for Train Job! Before anyone asks, it's the same chapter as Jailbreak, just with a few minor details changed. Seriously, there's barely anything different, except for a couple of settings and small details. Anyway, today's also the double update with the Q &A, which will be posted right after this. Now, without further ado!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: Nah, I don't think it's wrong to say – really, everyone is entitled to their own opinion – but keep in mind that there's a pretty big difference between Oliver and Skylar and Calla, Bree, and Chase: experience. I mean, Marcus, Lexi, Tank, Sebastian, Kieran…I'm sure there's more, but the point is, the lab rats have been betrayed a lot. And they've learned how to deal with it, as opposed to Oliver, who's only real big betrayal in his life was his mother, which isn't something easy to come back from. That has a big effect on why they're reacting differently. As for Oliver, there's a lot more to his outburst than what he said, and once he calms down a bit, he and Dani will have a real, two-sided conversation about it. This chapter is partially in Oliver's perspective, so I'm curious what you'll think of his and Skylar's reactions to Dani after you've read for the submitting the questions – you'll get your answers in the Q &A chapter, which will be posted after this. Enjoy the chapters.**

 **Algernon23: It wasn't that much shorter than some of the chapters I've posted this season. I really just wanted to focus on the emotional this chapter, rather than the action, since I really felt that we needed to see how everyone was reacting to everything. Yeah, it's been a while since Dani did something medical, but that's more of a I've-been-undercover-for-so-long thing than a Horace thing. He'd obviously still give them work to do at the hospital, though admittedly not as much as they'd have if he was still gone. And no, only Calla and Kaz are aware of the time travel, and even Calla's not entirely sure how much Kaz changed. But don't worry – they'll find out, eventually. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapters, and happy Halloween!**

 **Amazingchichi741: I want to thank you for the questions, but unfortunately, I can't put any of them in the Q &A. The first one I'll answer here – her hair is still blonde, if she dyes it back, I'll make a bigger deal about it – but the other two I can't answer honestly without spoiling what I have planned. I mean 'is anyone going to die' and 'how does the villain plan on executing their plan' are pretty big, spoiler-filled questions. I hope you understand.**

 **Shadow-wolf78: Thanks. Enjoy the chapters.**

 **Sacredmaiden009: I think you meant Bree, but I know what you mean. Enjoy the chapters.**

 **Rta Oste: Thanks. I can't confirm or deny Bree's pregnancy, but you'll see what the bug is soon enough. Enjoy the chapters.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks. Enjoy the chapters.**

 **Layla347: Logically, you're right. But Oliver's not thinking logically – right now, he's all emotion. He knows all of that, of course, but right now he's just focusing on what she did, what she didn't do, how that affected the team, and what could have happened. He's still working through everything. Given a chance to calm down, he and Dani will have a real conversation about it, but he needs the space to do that, and Dani's too concerned with making sure he doesn't hate her that she's almost smothering him. But you're completely right – there's no way they would have been able to keep her secret hidden in the heat of battle. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapters.**

 **RandomPerson2000: Thanks for the questions! I hope you enjoy the chapters.**

 **Gangster1998: I'm so glad you liked it. As for Oliver, he just needs time. He'll forgive her eventually. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapters.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked the chapter. I hope you like the next ones just as much.**

 **Humanusscriptor: Well, I'm so glad you were able to get your questions in on time! Thanks for submitting them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapters.**

 **MayLeaf2001: They all have different reasons for reacting the why they reacted the way they did. You will get to see more of Calla and Bree bonding throughout the rest of the series. As for whether or not Bree is sick, you'll have to keep reading to find out. Yeah, the chapter did change a bit – sometimes the plots no longer hold any worth, and really, there wasn't going to be much for the Jaden, Kaz, and Glitch plotline other than them running after random dogs. Yes, we'll probably see more of him and Katy, but I really don't have anything specific planned. Yeah, it'll really put them at a disadvantage if they lose their powers. As for whether or not the bionics will be affected, that will be addressed in an upcoming chapter. When it comes to Dani, Oliver, and Skylar, you'll have to keep reading to see how their plot turns out. Anyway, thanks for the questions and I hope you enjoy the chapters.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, chapter time!**

 **Oliver: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns Calla, Dani, the rest of the OCs in the chapter, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Bree's POV**

"This sucks." Jaden commented, and not for the first time that day. I sighed, ignoring him as I stared out the window, watching the cityscape speed out of view. "Remind me again why we had to take the train to Mission Creek?"

"Because Mr. Davenport took the private jet to go to Switzerland with Tasha and Naomi for that symposium." Chase replied calmly, briefly removing his hand from his wife's hair to turn the page of his book, before returning it to where Calla's head laid in his lap.

"And Kaz managed to break _both_ of the geo-leap devices when he was setting up his latest Halloween prank." Calla added, glancing up from her iPad to look at us.

"It's not that bad, Jay." I told my boyfriend, leaning my head against his shoulder. "We have our own compartment, and it's only a few more hours."

"Five hours, thirteen minutes, to be precise." Chase added unhelpfully. Jaden groaned.

"Oh, suck it up." Calla rolled her eyes, sitting up to look at her brother. "No one forced you to come to the reunion."

"As if I'd miss it. The old team is going to be there!" He grinned. "I can't believe we're going back to MCH."

"Well, if you're so excited, stop complaining about the train ride." Calla grumbled. Chase looked at her.

"You alright?" He questioned, amused. She rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe Kaz broke my geo-leap devices!" She complained. He chuckled.

"C'mon. How about we grab some lunch in the dining cart?" He questioned. She considered.

"Yeah, okay." She agreed, getting up. Chase shook his head, laughing. "What?"

"Nothing." He assured her, opening the compartment's door for her. He glanced at us. "You guys coming?"

"No thanks. Not hungry." I said quickly, closing my eyes and leaning my head against Jaden's shoulder. I felt Jaden's shoulder shake as he shook his head, then heard the compartment door close. A moment later, I felt Jaden place his hand on my forehead. "I'm fine, Jay. I'm not sick."

"So that's why you woke me up this morning by puking really loudly in the bathroom?" He questioned.

"I promise I will vomit quieter from now on." I joked, opening my eyes. He gave me a look. "Seriously, Jay, I'm fine."

"Are you sure it's just a stomach bug?" He questioned. I opened my mouth, not sure what to answer. I genuinely didn't think it was a stomach bug anymore, or at least not the kind he was thinking of, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him yet, at least not until Dr. Diaz got back to me with the results. I wanted to be sure, first.

Before I could answer, the train suddenly slowed down, quickly coming to a stop. "I didn't think there was another stop for another hour."

"There isn't." I frowned, confused. I shrugged. "We're probably waiting for another train to cross the tracks. It happens."

Suddenly, my phone started to ring. I picked it up quickly, having expected it for a couple of days now. "I'll be right back." I told him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Hey, Sky, they were out of that candy you like," I called, using my shoulder to open the front door as I balanced the two grocery bags in my arms, "but I think I found something-holy!"

I jumped back as a skeleton dropped out in front of me from the ceiling, glowering when I heard Kaz ad Dani's laughter. "Seriously guys?"

"C'mon, dude, it's tradition." Kaz reminded me. I rolled my eyes, and headed for the kitchen. Dani followed me, a hopeful look on her face.

"Hey, where's Skylar?" I asked, looking at Kaz.

"Mission Command." He replied. Dani grinned at me.

"Hey, we're going to set up a bunch of pranks for when Calla and Chase get back. You wanna help?" She asked.

"Uh, no thanks." I replied. She looked genuinely disappointed. For a moment, I felt a little guilty. Then, she let out a breath and the smile reappeared on her face, albeit a little forced.

"Your loss. We need more paint for the balloons." She clapped her hands together and turned on her heel. She looked at Kaz. "There's some in Mission Command. I'll be right back."

She headed down to Mission Command while Kaz reset the skeleton prank. "Hey, play nice."

"Dude, don't." I looked at him. He raised his hands in defense.

"I'm not telling you to forgive her or stuff – sibling stuff is sibling stuff. I know better than to get involved." He assured me. "But dude, you're my best friend and she's my girlfriend. So play nice."

"Fine." I grumbled. I knew Kaz had a point, and that I should probably start talking to her again at some point. "It's just…Dani and Alivia's plan, it was a crappy plan."

"Oliver-" Kaz began, only to be cut off by the home security AI.

" _Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid your services have been requested for a mission."_ MISS interrupted. The fireplace split in two and Skylar and Dani stepped out of the hidden elevator.

"What's the mission, MISS?" Skylar demanded. There was a brief pause.

" _You are not going to believe this."_ The AI almost seemed amused.

 **Bree's POV**

"Alright, thanks." I hung up the phone and leaned against the wall, focusing on my breathing, processing what I'd just be told. Okay then.

Suddenly, the lights above me and all through the hallway went out, leaving me in the darkness. Several of the compartments opened up, including ours, and the occupants stepped out, confused.

"What happened?" One of the passengers questioned. Jaden looked at me.

"Babe, you good?" He questioned. I nodded stiffly. "What happened to the lights?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Chase called as he and Calla made their way down to us.

"The train's not moving, the lights are down. It's like they shut down the whole locomotive." Calla added. I frowned, looking at them.

"Mechanical failure?" I guessed. Calla shrugged.

"No idea. But I'm going to go check with the conductor, see what's up." She glanced at her older brother. "You coming?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"We should go check the other compartments, make sure everyone's alright." I suggested, glancing at Chase. He nodded in agreement.

"Good idea." He complimented.

"Oh, here." Calla fished through her purse and pulled out a commlink. She handed it to me before putting one in her own ear. "Only got two, sorry."

"Why do you have any?" Jaden questioned, bewildered.

"It pays to be prepared." She reasoned, shrugging. She smiled at us. "See you in a bit."

"You too." Chase nodded, watching her and Jaden go. He gestured at the hall full of compartments. "After you."

We started checking the compartments, one by one, to make that everyone was alright. We assured the people inside that everything was fine – probably – and asked if they needed help with anything. Everything seemed fine, at first, but just as I was leaving the third compartment I'd checked in on, two single, loud, gunshots rang out.

 **Oliver's POV**

" _Of course this would happen to us!"_ Kaz's voice, stressed, echoed in my commlink. _"And on Halloween too!"_

"Kaz, you're overreacting." Skylar sighed, starting to lose patience with him. "Besides, considering everything that could have happened, I think that this qualifies as a pretty easy mission."

" _Skylar, I don't know what it's like on Caldera, but here, on Earth, tracking a pair of runaway crocodiles through the sewers is NOT an easy mission!"_ Kaz snapped. I had to admit, he had a point. Dani's laughter could be heard on the line.

" _Ah, crocodiles in the sewer…classic."_ She giggled. I looked at Skylar before resuming to sweep my flashlight around. At least the sewer we were walking around had walkways on either side of the constantly flowing river of filthy water. I suspected that the water level was usually lower, but after two days of heavy rainfall, waves kept splashing up against the edge of the walkways.

"What kind of idiot steals crocodiles from the zoo just to dump them in the sewers?" I questioned. Despite it being a rhetorical question, Dani still spoke up.

" _A funny idiot."_ She laughed. After a moment of silence, she sighed irritably. _"C'mon, this is hilarious, and you guys know it."_

" _No, it's not."_ For once, Kaz wasn't on board. _"Crocodiles in the sewers is, like, the worst movie monster ever."_

" _Name one movie that had a crocodile in the sewer as the villain. And it can't be Batman!"_ She added, in an afterthought.

" _Alligator."_ Kaz replied instantly.

" _You mean the 1980s movie? Also, there's a difference between crocodiles and allig-"_ At that point, I pulled the commlink from my ear.

"They're going to keep bickering for a while." I told Skylar. She nodded in agreement, following my lead and removing her own commlink.

"Dani seems to be enjoying herself." She observed. I nodded in agreement, looking around the sewer.

"Kaz thinks I'm being too hard on her." I mentioned after a couple of minutes. She hummed in response. "What do you think?"

"It's not my place to tell you whether or not to forgive her, Oliver." She replied, slightly distracted as we stepped into a new tunnel. "She's your sister, not mine."

"What do you think of her being back, then?" I questioned. I needed a second opinion on this. I was pissed at Dani, sure, but over the past few days, I'd been starting to doubt exactly why I was still punishing her for it.

Skylar didn't answer for a very long time. Then, finally, "I don't trust her."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but aside from that?"

"No, Oliver, that's it. I don't trust her." Skylar turned to face me. "I can't trust her. Neither can Bree or Calla, and I don't get why you're all acting like it's no big deal. I'd get it if we were just friends, but we're teammates. We rely on each other on missions to keep each other safe. And if we can't trust one of the people who's supposed to be covering our asses? Then that puts us all in danger."

"I know." I told her, serious. She nodded.

"Good. Trust is vital to what we do. And if we can't trust her…Look, I know I sound really cold and heartless right now, but I'm just being honest." She sighed. "I'm her friend. Her screw up? Not going to change that. And eventually, as her friend, I'll forgive her. But as her teammate? I don't know."

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "I just…I wish she would think sometimes. Her and Alivia's plan could have gone really, really wrong."

"Dani only thinks about how the consequences will affect her." Skylar sighed. I looked at her, a little surprised that she'd say something like that. "I'm not saying she's selfish. I know she's not. Dani would have sacrificed everything, even her own life, to stop Bridget. But Dani just doesn't think about how things will affect others. It's just not how her mind works."

"So, what are you saying?" I questioned, a little confused. Skylar shrugged.

"That, combined with the way Dani goes about things…she's very independent. She's good at what she does, but her methods don't work in a team setting." She commented.

"You think she should leave again." It wasn't a question.

"No, I…I don't want anything. Dani's a good hero, I'll never deny that, but I honestly think that she'd be a better hero if she went off on her own. And I think she's starting to realize it too." She gave me a sad look, and I realized what she was trying to do: she thought that Dani was going to bail again, and she was trying to prepare me for it.

"I don't know." I muttered. Suddenly, before we could continue with our conversation, we heard a loud shout – Kaz's voice – echo through the tunnels. We exchanged looks, then took off in his direction. "Guys!" I shouted, slapping my commlink back on, regretting ever taking it out in the first place. "What's going-oompf!"

I suddenly found myself on my back, Kaz having barreled right into me. Dani was close behind him, a breathless smile still on her lips. "Sorry." Kaz apologized quickly, climbing off of me then helping me up. "We found the crocodiles. They were big."

"Kaz has a phobia of crocs in the sewer, apparently." Dani commented.

"It's not a phobia, Dee, it's common sense." He retorted. She laughed good-naturedly.

"Could you take this seriously?" I snapped. The smile faded from her face completely, and immediately I felt a pang of guilt. "I just mean, let's laugh about this later, okay?"

"Yeah…sure." She agreed softly. Great, now I felt like a jerk. "Oh, by the way, obvious question: how do we catch them anyway? We never actually discussed that."

"I thought we were just going to blast them." Skylar frowned. Dani stared at her in horror.

"They're just animals, Skylar!" She snapped.

"Enough." I stepped in before they could start fighting. I looked at Kaz. "Let's see these crocs, then decide what we're going to do with them, alright? Where are they?"

Kaz sighed, clearly not thrilled at the idea of going near them. "That way." He pointed. Dani led the way, heading back the direction she and Kaz had come. Eventually, however, she stopped in the middle of a tunnel intersection. One of the tunnels were caved in, probably a result of being incredible old, while the rest of it was completely empty. "Uh, where are they?"

"You lost them?" Skylar sighed in frustration.

"It wasn't our fault." Dani said quickly.

"Uh, guys?" Kaz said slowly. "Found them."

We turned around to see a pair of massive crocodiles standing behind us, watching us with their yellow eyes, their tails flicking back and forth impatiently. "Uh, now what?" Skylar questioned. I thought about it quickly.

"Blast the ground." I told them. "Kaz, Dani, you blast the ground between us and them, and we'll blast the areas that we don't want them to go in."

"So we can direct them in the direction we want." Skylar grinned. "That's good."

"And animal friendly." Dani added appreciatively. I smiled, proud of that plan.

That pride disappeared barely two seconds later when I remembered that most sewers were filled with gases caused by the filth in the water. And those gases were flammable.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to stop Kaz before he activated his pyrokinesis. There was a flash of light, and then a loud explosion as I felt myself being thrown backwards.

 **Bree's POV**

I dropped to one knee on instinct the moment I heard the shots, one hand reaching back to shut the compartment door behind me in hopes of protecting the family inside. "What the hell was that?" Chase demanded, looking at me from where he was ducked behind a snack cart, the owner of the cart mysteriously gone.

"Let's find out." I suggested, nodding towards the lounge car, where the sounds had come from. He nodded and we started silently making our way to the car.

" _Guys, we heard shots. What's going on?"_ Calla questioned.

"Give me a sec to find out." I told her as we approached the car. Chase nodded at me and I quickly activated my invisibility ability. I stood up at full height, able to watch through the porthole window in the door without fear of being caught by the people inside. "Crap."

Inside the lounge car, a group of men and women, all in tough, black clothing paced the lounge room, threatening a group of passengers with high-tech looking weapons. Slowly, the passengers dumped their personal belongings – jewelry, watches, wallets – into a burlap sack. "I think it's a heist; they're robbing the train." I muttered.

"What is this, an old west film?" Calla questioned.

"Apparently." I replied, shaking my head. Then, one of the robbers turned around and I caught sight of her face. "You've got to be kidding me."

" _What?_ " "What?" Chase and Calla questioned at the same time.

"Carrie Perry is one of the robbers." I informed them, watching the eighteen-year-old niece of our ex-principal threaten one of the men in the car when he didn't give her his watch fast enough.

" _Uh, Jaden would like to know if this is some elaborate prank."_ Calla said after a moment.

"I wish." I muttered.

"Bree." I glanced down at my brother, who was leaning against the wall, out of Carrie and her 'friends'' sight. "Tell Jay and Calla to start moving passengers away from this car."

I nodded and relayed the message. _"Whatever you're going to do, be careful."_ Calla warned before signing off. I looked at Chase.

"Now what?" I questioned. He thought about it for a moment.

"How many robbers and how many hostages?" He asked. I glanced back through the window, double-checking the number.

"Seven robbers, including Perry. Eight hostages." I replied. He nodded, and before he could ask what they were armed with, I added, "They're got tech weapons, nothing I've seen. The type Calla would kill for."

"Right." He thought about it, then looked at me, a faint smirk on his lips. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I caught on after half a second. "Oh yeah."

 **Oliver's POV**

I groaned, rubbing my head as the dust cleared from the explosion. I started to get to my feet, then stopped, shocked to see that there was a wall of rubble in front of me. "Oliver, Dani!" Kaz's voice came from the other side. I glanced over my shoulder to check, and sure enough, Dani was a few feet behind me, using the wall to support herself.

"We're fine, Kaz." She called, grimacing as she ran a hand through her dust-covered blonde hair.

"Oliver?" He added, just to be sure.

"Yeah, I'm here. Are you guys alright?" I shouted, looking up at the rubble, trying to see if there was a way through. Dani and I were effectively trapped – the cave in from earlier blocking off the exit from the other side. Water sloshed up against our feet, having risen above the edge of the walkway.

"We're fine." Skylar assured us. "But the ceiling caved when the explosion…how did that happen anyway?"

"Sewer gases. Kaz ignited them by accident." I replied. "What about the crocodiles?"

"I think we accidently killed them." Kaz said, a wince in his tone. "They're not moving."

"Oh no." Dani frowned, genuinely upset.

"Are you guys stuck? Can you get out at all?" Skylar questioned.

"I don't know. I don't think so." Dani replied, walking over to me and tracing her hand over the wall of rocks. Suddenly, I felt the water seep into my shoes. Glancing down, I realized something.

"Shit."

Dani frowned and followed my gaze, her face clearing of its confusion after a moment. "What?" Kaz questioned, unable to see.

"We may be trapped, but the water isn't. It's still coming in from your side." I told them. "And with the wall behind us blocked off, it's starting to rise."

"That may not be a bad thing." Skylar offered. "If the water can get in, maybe you can out the same way: under the rocks."

I glanced at the river of water, trying to judge how deep it was. Deciding that it must be several feet deep – with the amount of water down here and the rain from the past two nights, it had to be fairly deep, - I shook my head. "Won't work. We need another way."

"Why? Can't you swim?" Skylar questioned.

"I can't." Dani spoke up, embarrassed. I looked at her and saw her cheeks flare up red.

There was a brief pause, then Skylar questioned, "what kind of hero can't swim?"

"This kind." Dani growled in retort, clearly annoyed at the question.

"Doesn't matter, we just can't swim out of here." I interrupted Skylar's next question. Ever since nearly drowning at the pier when we were four, Dani had been afraid of water. She didn't like to tell people that – she was incredibly embarrassed about it – but I understood.

"Uh, what if we try to blow a hole in it?" Kaz offered, trying to be helpful.

"I think we've had enough explosions for one day, bud." I replied, trying to think.

"Oh, wait! Calla's got a new toy in mission command." Kaz exclaimed after a minute. "It can allow you to pass through solid objects."

"That's perfect, Kaz." Dani told him, forcing a smile on her face, despite the fact that he couldn't see it.

"We'll go get it." Skylar promised us. "We'll be back soon."

"Hurry!" I called after them, listening to their retreating footsteps. I glanced back at my sister, but Dani was too preoccupied with the slowly rising water level to notice.

 **Bree's POV**

"Ready?" Chase asked me. I nodded, taking a deep breath. Game time.

"Hey, Carrie!" Chase shouted, cupping his hands to make his voice echo louder. "Remember me?"

He turned and ran to hide as I turned invisible again and stood up. Just in time too, as I watched Carrie's face turn from smug and victorious to frustrated and disbelieving when she recognized the voice. She cursed under her breath, then looked at one of her fellow robbers. "Chase Davenport, the bionic genius."

"The boss didn't say there'd be bionics." He growled.

"Just go deal with him!" Carrie snapped insistently. He grumbled under his breath, but soon he, along with three of the other robbers, pushed open the door and walked past me in search of Chase. I slipped through the door unseen. Chase would deal with the other robbers, but right now my priority was to make sure the hostages made it out alright.

There were three robbers left in the room, including Carrie. Despite the fact that they all had extremely high-end weaponry on them, I was confident I could beat them. I slowly, carefully, made my way over to the other end of the car, getting behind them as they faced the hostages. I smirked and turned visible, reveling in the reactions of the hostages.

I whistled loudly and the three of them turned around. "Hey, how's it going?"

Carrie reacted first, aiming her weapon at me and firing. I sped out of harm's way, but surprisingly, at the last minute, the shot – a blast of gold energy the size of a baseball – curved its path. It still ended up missing, but instead of hitting the window like I expected, it buried itself in the wall next to me. I stopped, stunned for a moment.

Carrie smirked, realizing that she'd caught me by surprise, then glanced at her fellow criminals. "What are you waiting for? Shoot her!"

They didn't need any further encouragement, and soon, I had three blasts of energy chasing after me. Okay, so just avoiding the blasts wasn't going to work. Time to try something else. Instead of darting away from the blasts, I sped towards them, dropping to my knees at the last second. I narrowly avoided being hit, but sure enough, the energy balls curved midair to follow me, in the direction of their shooters.

Not nearly as fast as I was, the robbers had a much harder time avoiding being hit. In fact, two of the blasts hit their own shooters in the chest, knocking them down and out. Carrie didn't try to run like they did – clearly, she understood that it wasn't going to help – instead raising her weapon to deflect it. The blast hit her weapon, knocking it out of her hand, but she was spared. She scrambled to get a hold of another one, but before she could, I lunged at her, pinning her up against the wall.

"Nice try, Carrie." I smirked. She scowled angrily, struggling against my hold, but I was too strong for her to escape from.

"Go to hell." She muttered. I chuckled in amusement.

"After you." I replied.

" _Bree?"_ To my surprise, it was Chase's voice that came from the commlink instead of Calla's. "You there?"

"Yeah, just finishing up. You?"

"Yeah, they're down. Not exactly a fan of their new weapons." He grumbled.

"Me either." I agreed, adjusting my grip on Carrie. "Where's Calla and Jaden?"

"Jay's on his way to help you, Calla's taking a look at the device Carrie and her pals used to stop the train." He replied. "We should be on our way soon. The police'll be waiting for us on the other end."

"Hear that? You're done." I whispered to Carrie. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "So," I said, addressing Chase again, "who gets to tell Perry that we got her niece arrested…again?"

 **Oliver's POV**

I glanced at the wall of rubble again, impatient. The water was already up to our waists, and getting higher. Where were Kaz and Skylar?

Dani was getting skittish, alternating between standing in the water like me and flying as high as she could, which in this enclosed space, was only a couple of feet higher than my head. "Can you stop?" I asked, not unkindly, as she landed again. She looked at me, surprised. "Seriously, stop."

"Sorry." She muttered. I sighed.

"They'll be back soon." I promised. She nodded absently. "Hey, seriously, chill out. We'll be fine."

She nodded again, quiet. After a moment, she spoke up. "Skylar's got a point. What kind of hero is afraid of water?"

"What kind of hero doesn't have any fears? I mean, look at Kaz; apparently, he's afraid of crocodiles." I reminded her. She thought about it.

"Tecton. Tecton was fearless." She finally settled on. I shook my head.

"He was afraid of mice." I replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"Mice?" She repeated. I nodded.

"Mice." I confirmed. She bit her lip, trying to keep from smiling. "It's just something we have to work around. It's fine."

She nodded, then glanced at me. "I think this is the most you've spoken to me since I've been back." She commented softly. I didn't respond. "Ollie, please. I'm sorry I had to lie to you, but I didn't have another choice."

"You always have a choice, Dani." I reminded her. She looked at me.

"Okay, then answer this, honestly: if, while I was undercover, we had to fight each other, would you have pulled your punches?" She questioned. I opened my mouth to reply, then realized that I really didn't have an answer. I didn't know what I would have done. "You would have. Look, I know you never would have told them anything, but you would have pulled their punches. And they would have noticed. That's how I got Lexi suspicious, by not using my full power against Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo."

I sighed, knowing and hating that she had a point. "You make me want to hate you somedays, you know."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "I don't, though. I wish I could, Dee, and I hate that you went undercover, but I don't hate you."

"I did what I had to, Ollie." She reminded me.

"You could have done it differently." I shot back.

"No, I really couldn't have. We talked about this." She sighed. "I couldn't tell you-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." I insisted. She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to lie, I'm pissed you lied, and I am insulted that you think I wouldn't have been able to figure something out to keep your secret when your life was in danger. But you know what I'm the most upset about? You left."

"I know." Dani sighed. I stopped her.

"Dani, it used to be us against the world. You, me, and Kaz." I reminded her. "And then that changed. Why?"

She gave me a sad look, not one that was sad for herself, but sad that I was right. "I don't know."

"You wanna know what I think you should have done differently? You should have taken Kaz or I with you." I told her. She frowned, as if the idea had never occurred to her. "Out of the two of us, I was always closer with Mom, and Kaz would follow you anywhere. Mom wouldn't have even questioned it if we'd joined her alongside you. And that way, we'd still be a team and you wouldn't be doing some idiot, dangerous crap all by yourself."

"I…I didn't want to get your guys involved." She murmured. I raised an eyebrow. "It was dangerous!"

"Exactly why you shouldn't have done it alone." I insisted. "You could have been killed, Dani."

"I'm sorry." She apologized yet again.

"Stop apologizing and start thinking. Your actions have consequences." I told her sternly. She nodded, and I sighed. "Just, next time, remember that we're a team, alright? You don't have to play the martyr all by yourself."

"Next time I go to do something stupid, I'll drag you and Kaz along with me." She promised, a hint of a smile on her face.

"It's really not too much to ask." I told her, just as the sound of approaching footsteps came into earshot. And none too soon either – the water was already touching our shoulders.

"Hey, you guys still alright?" Kaz called from the other side. I glanced at Dani, who was back to staring at the water with nervous eyes.

"We've been better!" I replied.

"Alright, hang on a second!" Skylar shouted. True to her word, a second later, the water suddenly started to drain, pouring out through a hole in the rubble, held open by a light blue transparent square. As the water drained, I could see Kaz and Skylar's face on the other side of the hole. Eventually, the water was as low as they could get it – up to our waists, just below the hole. I looked at Dani, about to offer to let her go first, but she was already climbing through the hole to safety. Amused, I followed her, accepting Skylar's hand as we climbed out.

"You guys okay?" Kaz questioned. Dani and I exchanged looks.

"Yeah, I think so." I assured him. Suddenly, one of the crocodiles' tails twitched.

"Ah!" Kaz jumped half a foot in the air, the movement startling him. "That thing's alive?!"

"Apparently so." Dani bent down to stroke the crocodile's back before anyone could stop her. "You must have knocked them out with the explosion, not killed them."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I called the zoo and told them we found them." Skylar commented.

"Well…I'm out. See ya." Kaz couldn't have gotten out of there faster, I swear. Dani laughed, watching him practically sprint away from the crocodiles.

"I can wait for the zoo keepers." Skylar offered, giving me a smile. "You guys go clean up."

"Thanks Sky." I kissed her before leaving with Dani to follow Kaz's path through the sewers.

"So…" Dani drawled after a long moment. "Are we good?"

I sighed. "Yeah, we're good."

She beamed. "Good." She clapped her hands together, a mischievous light in her eyes. "Because I want your help with something."

 **Kaz's POV**

I yawned, walking down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. Everyone was asleep, but after finding that Oliver was not in bed, I figured I'd find him down in the kitchen. "Oliver, you down here?"

I stopped when I took the last step, my foot feeling something under me that was not hardwood. It felt…scaly, almost, and cool to the touch. What could that…Suddenly, the strangest, most terrifying thing happened – a crocodile fell from the sky. "Shit!" I screamed, jumping back onto the stairs.

The lights flicked on at the same time as the sound of laughter hit my ears. A plastic crocodile was lying at the bottom of the stairs, while another one hung from the same rope as my skeleton had earlier. Dani and Oliver were sitting on the couch, evidently waiting for me, laughing like they'd never seen anything quite as funny.

I gaped at them, both surprised and annoyed. "You guys suck!" I told them. They ignored me, laughing even harder. And after a moment, I started laughing too.

 **Bree's POV**

"Such a crazy day." Calla complained as we walked into our old house. The police had arrested Carrie and the other robbers at the station, and now all I wanted to do was go to bed. Thankfully, Mr. Davenport, Tasha, and Naomi were still out of the country, so we had the house to ourselves for the duration of our stay.

"No kidding." Jaden agreed, dropping my and his bags at the door. He glanced at his sister. "I can't believe you kept one of their weapons."

"It's cool." She insisted, holding up the high-tech weapon. "High end, very impressive."

"I just don't get what this is." Chase took the weapon from her and turned it over, revealing a series of numbers printing in light grey ink at the bottom of the weapon: 1908091820-0616. "I mean, it's not a serial code – they don't look like that and they're usually made to be part of the weapon so that it can't be hidden as easily."

"I think it's a signature." Calla hummed.

"Uh, those are numbers, not letters." I pointed out. She shook her head.

"A lot of engineers put a personal logo or symbol on their gadgets so that they can identify it as their own. Mine's the Borromean rings with a tiny C in each of the circles." She explained. "This number could be his."

"You think you can identify who made this weapon?" I asked.

"I can try." Calla smirked stubbornly. She looked up at us, like she was going to say something, then switched gears and turned to Chase. "Come down to Mission Command with me."

"I was actually going to make dinner." He mentioned. She batted her eyes at him.

"Please? Davenport left some new inventions to test. It'll be fun." She insisted. He sighed.

"Alright. Dinner can wait." He agreed reluctantly following her down to the lab. Finally – I'd been hoping to get some alone time with Jaden all day.

"Hey, can we talk?" I asked, turning to him. He nodded and started to lead me out onto the deck.

"I need to talk to you too." He agreed, pushing open the door for me. "You go first."

"Actually, you go first. Mine is pretty important." I told him as I leaned against the deck railing.

"Well…Bree." Jaden said my name, and didn't say anything else. I waited a few moments, then turned around to ask him what was up, just to have my breath stolen from me. Jaden was down on one knee, pulling out a ring box.

"Bree Daphne Davenport…" His smile grew a tiny bit bigger when he saw the stunned look on my face. "Will you marry me?"

"I…I…Jaden…" Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! "Jaden, I…um…"

"Bree?" He asked, uncertain. I shook my head to clear it.

"Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you!" I promised him. His reaction was instant, my boyfriend – scratch that, fiancé – jumping to his feet and grabbing my waist, spinning me around as he kissed me. I squealed in response, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Eventually – too soon – Jaden stopped spinning me and put me down on my feet. I didn't move my arms though, perfectly content to be where I was. I sighed though, remembering why I'd come out here in the first place. "There is one little thing…" He frowned, confused. I took a deep breath. "Jaden, I'm pregnant."

 **Kihonne: And now the Q &A is just around the corner, but don't forget to review first!**


	34. Our Final Show

**Kihonne: Alright guys, it's time for the Q &A. I have to say, I was expecting to get more questions than these, so it's going to be a fairly short chapter, but I guess you guys just didn't have much to ask. Anyway, let's move straight onto the chapter, shall we?**

 **Rebeccka and Gus: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, her OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

"And we're back!" Gus declared, spinning around in his chair at the same time as his co-host, Rebeccka. The two were obviously into the Halloween spirit, the two of them dressed in monkey and zebra costumes, respectively. The entire set was decorated with black, purple, and orange Halloween decorations, from paper pumpkins lining the ceiling to the fuzzy spider sitting on top of their desk. Two long, black couches stretched out on either side of them, covered in a combination of themed throw pillows.

"It's time for your favorite talk show, by your two favorite hosts: Rebeccka Fairweather and Gus Isaacs." Rebeccka grinned at the screen. "But before we do anything, I think we should introduce our guests, shouldn't we?"

"I say we should." Gus agreed. He glanced at his cards. "First up, we have everyone's favorite art student, the bionic speedster herself, Bree Davenport!"

Bree walked on stage, wearing a pretty, light blue dress that ended just above her knees and a white apron, along with knee-high white socks and mary janes, and sat down at the far end of one of the couches. She raised her hand in greeting at the crowd, smiling.

"Next up, our favorite non-bionic person, well aside from ourselves, he also happens to be the best cook we know. It's Jaden Parker!"

Jaden jogged onto stage, only to earn a soft laugh from Rebeccka when she, and the rest of the audience saw the ratty trench coat he wore over a too-colorful shirt and tie, along with a too-short pants, brown boots, and a large top hat. He tipped his hat at Rebeccka in response before sitting down next to his girlfriend.

"Nice costumes, guys." Gus grinned at them. "Okay, let's keep the ball moving. Recently returned to the team, we have Dani Short!"

Said electrokinetic walked out from the other end of the stage, dressed in a short, yellow dress with black lines running across her back, accented by the yellow, spiky ears she wore on top of her head and the red dots she'd painted on her cheeks. She curtseyed for the crowd before sitting down next to Jaden.

"Next up, we have the team's biggest hot-head, Kaz Broadman." Rebeccka declared. From the same side of the stage that Dani had come from walked Kaz, dressed in a blue vest over a white shirt, and wearing a red and white ballcap. He tossed a red and white ball between his hands, smirking at the crowd, before sitting down next to Dani. He put his arm around her as he waited for Gus to announce the next guest.

"Okay, time for our favorite geniuses. First up is the beautiful CEO of Davenport Industries herself, Calla Davenport!" Gus called. Said tech genius skipped onto the stage, wearing a dark blue dress with miniature clock patterns imprinted in it with a darker shade of blue. The mid-section of the dress was a pure white color, with black lines running across it like the bars of a window, while the top strip of fabric, just above her breast, read 'Police Box' in white letters. She twirled once for the crowd before sitting down on the empty couch.

"Next up is the self-proclaimed 'smartest man in the world'," Rebeccka teased, "Chase Davenport!"

Chase stepped onto the stage, dressed up in a black suit, though the inside of his jacket was crimson, and white dress shirt. He waved at the crowd before sitting down next to his wife.

"Next up is one of our favorite cryokinetic doctors, Oliver Short!" Rebeccka declared. Oliver walked out onto the stage, wearing a fake goatee and fake afro, while wearing a white shirt and carrying a dried watercolor landscape. He grinned at the crowd before taking his place next to Skylar. Rebeccka looked at him closely. "I'm sorry, who are you supposed to be?"

"Bob Ross." Oliver replied as if it should have been obviously. Rebeccka frowned, then shrugged.

"No idea who that is, but okay." She decided. "Now we have everyone's favorite alien, Skylar Storm!"

The brunette walked out from the right side of the stage, wearing a mauve dress over a white blouse, along with knee-high boots, a black sash wrapped around her waist, a realistic-looking sword on her hip, and a black pirate's hat. She bowed at the crowd before sitting down next to Calla.

Gus glanced back at his cue cards. "Oh, and now we have our two special guests. First up, the ruler of our little pocket-universe herself, Kihonne."

There was a laugh as Kihonne walked out onto the stage, wearing a pair of leather pants, a dark bluish-grey corset, and leather jacket, her outfit completed by the long, white wig she wore. She sat down on the edge of the couch next to Kaz, crossing her legs as she did.

"And finally, one of our old friends from the Academy, Leo Dooley!" Rebeccka called. Leo walked out onto the stage, wearing a red shirt under a set of blood-stained blue overalls, along with a blood-stained red-hat with the letter Z on the front, and dried fake-blood around his lips. He smiled creepily at the crowd before settling on the arm of the couch next to Oliver.

"Alright, so let's get the ball moving, shall we?" Gus questioned before looking at the questions. "Our first set of questions come from LabGirl2001. Let's start with an easy one: what is everyone's favorite reality show?"

"Teen fiancé!" Bree declared, answering quickly. Everyone looked at her. "It's amazing, okay?"

"I prefer Master Chef." Jaden answered. Skylar shrugged.

"America's Got Talent is pretty cool." She commented.

"I like Storage Wars." Oliver mentioned.

"Big Brother is better." Calla commented. "But the American one, not the Canadian one. Actually…sorry, I like Shark Tank too, but Big Brother is better, most of the time."

"Don't get her started. She hates how the last season went down. And she's told us that six times." Kaz groaned. "Uh, Survivor is my favorite."

"I like Shark Tank." Chase interrupted.

Leo considered it for a while. "You know, I have to go with the X Factor."

"Ink Master is mine." Dani finished.

Rebeccka nodded. "Oh, speaking of ink, Dani, aside from the infinity tattoo, why'd you get the ink you have?"

"Oh, the 'patria est ubi cor est'?" Dani pulled at the V-neck of her dress, revealing the black, curly letters. She smiled down at them, almost a bittersweet smile. "I knew that going in there was going to be tough, and I wanted something to remind me why I was doing it, and what better to remind me where my heart belongs than to imprint it in my skin?"

"That's sweet." Rebeccka cleared her throat. "Alright, last question folks: if you guys could only save one of your powers, which power would it be?"

"My speed. I couldn't live without it." Bree said quickly. Jaden shrugged, not really part of the question.

"My energy balls – they're my best offensive ability." Skylar replied.

"My cryokinesis." Oliver answered with a shrug.

"My intellect. I mean, it's a major part of who I am." Chase replied.

"Well, I only have the one, so obviously my proton disks. But if I had to choose between keeping my disks and keeping my weapons, my weapons would win." Calla added.

"My bionic arm, the strength part." Leo replied after a moment. "I could live without my fire balls."

"Well, I LOVE my pyrokinesis." Kaz grinned. Dani smiled.

"Flying. I can go anywhere with it – I'd rather lose every other power if it meant keeping that." She replied.

"Okay, the next set of questions come from RandomPerson2000. The first few are for you, Kihonne." Gus declared. "So, is The Return of Heroes ever going to be finished."

Kihonne sighed. "Short answer, yes and no. Right now, it's on hold due to writer's block and because I genuinely don't have the time to be working on two stories. Once this entire series is done with, meaning once Legacies is posted and completed, I'll go back to the Return of Heroes and re-write it. There are parts of it I'd like to change, and re-writing the story from the beginning will just help get the writing juices flowing. I do have every intention of going back and giving the Facility Series a proper ending.

"Okay, and which of your original chapters or plot lines is your favorite from this series?" Rebeccka questioned. Kihonne considered it.

"Well, those are two different questions, aren't they?" She mused. "Okay, my favorite original chapter is Against the Odds. Honestly, it's without a doubt the best original chapter I've ever written. But my favorite plotline? That'd have to be the Dani undercover plotline."

"Fair enough. Anyhow, how's the development of season 3 going?"

"Well." Kihonne replied instantly. "Seriously, it's already far more developed than season 2 was when I started posting it. I already have the main plot of the season written out, along with characters and villains to go with it, and I've got a title and at least a general synopsis (if not a fully-detailed summary) for all 16 chapters. And before anyone asks, there's going to be five important characters introduced next season, a few additions to the main cast, and a few guests that may surprise some of you. So, it's pretty well-developed, I'd say."

"Cool." Gus hummed. "Okay, so this question is for everyone. What's been your favorite adventure so far?"

"Well, that time Davenport tried to quarantine me, and I snuck out ended pretty well." Bree smirked to herself, leaning back into Jaden's arms. The older boy smiled to himself, thinking.

"The time that we fought against Krane's soldiers. It was the first time I'd ever gone on a mission with these guys." He reminisced.

"Let's see…" Dani thought about it. "I have to say…the time we fought our principal, who turned out to be an evil robot working for my mom. Who else can say they've done that?"

"Nah, that time I time travelled back in time." Kaz commented. After a moment's thought, he added, "When I was trying to stop Oliver from turning evil."

"Well, even I'll admit that the time I broke into Douglas and Marcus' lair in the exoskeleton suit was pretty cool." Calla replied, smiling at the memory.

"Honestly? Our first mission. Not that there haven't been any good ones since then, but it's by far the most memorable and significant to me." Chase answered.

"Mine would have to be the time we went back in time to find a battery for Captain Atomic." Oliver grinned. Skylar glanced at him, then shrugged.

"My favorite? When we went to save Crossbow from Roman and Riker. It was the first time I'd been able to kick real ass since I'd gotten my powers back." She replied.

"The mission on the Hurst Memorial Bridge, since it was the first time me, Taylor, Logan, Kieran, and Katherine had worked together as a team." Leo answered.

"Alright," Rebeccka read over her cards, "the next set of questions come from humanusscriptor. Skylar, you're up first. What do you think of Chase?"

Skylar raised an eyebrow at the surprising question. "Uh…" She glanced at the genius, "he's a good leader, a good guy, he's serious when it comes to protecting people, all the qualities of a hero."

"Okay, Kihonne, you're next. So, since you started working on The Attack before writing the rest of the story, how hard was it to backtrack all the way back to the first episode?"

"Easier than you'd think. I mean, I already had a good grasp on where my characters were, emotionally and mentally, since I'd already set them up at the end of The Lab Assistant and The Days of Our Lives, so once I knew where I wanted them to get, it was actually really easy to find a decent flow to get them on their way. Actually knowing what my endgame was made writing the season, including the first chapter, a lot easier."

"Cool." Gus nodded. "Now, assuming Jaden never existed, who'd you pair Bree up with? Or would you leave her single?"

Kihonne thought about it. "Honestly, I'd probably have her date around a lot in The Lab Assistant, though certain relationships, like the one with Owen, would have lasted a bit longer than the TV series, but she wouldn't really be tied down. But I think, eventually, I'd have her hook up with Kaz, assuming that I made the decision before writing the Days of Our Lives and before I made the decision to pair Dani up with him. I don't know why – they just have this sort of connection."

"And what are your thoughts on Brylar?" Gus added.

Kihonne shrugged. "I have absolutely nothing against them, but I just don't see it. I mean, I've watched the series a couple of times through (well, more than a couple), but I just don't see them having a non-platonic relationship. They've got a really good sister relationship and I wouldn't want to mess with that. Not that I have anything against them – I definitely think that if the show had been produced by a different company, Bree would have come out as bi at some point – I just have trouble see it."

"Fair enough." Rebeccka nodded. "Okay, Leo, you're next. When are you going to pop the question to Katherine? And, while we're at it, where are you going to do it?"

"Uh…um…" Leo looked really put on the spot. "I…soon, maybe? I love Kath, don't get me wrong, I just don't think we're ready for marriage yet. I mean, we're still having a lot of fun and getting to know each other. But if I were to propose, probably in a helicopter above the ocean. At night, when it's cool out."

"Alright, and Oliver," Gus looked at his friend, "what would it take to make you work with a villain like Megahertz? What about the Annihilator?"

"If one of my friends were in danger, or if it were the best way to save lives, I'd work with Megahertz. I mean, for a villain, he's actually pretty reasonable. I could make a deal with him that'd work out. But I'd never work with the Annihilator, ever. You can't make a deal with that guy, and no matter what, me and the people I care about would end up getting burned."

"That's fair." Rebeccka agreed. "Now, Bree, how often do you have to save Jaden on missions?"

"Oh my God, all the time. I mean, he's helpless." Bree exaggerated. Jaden coughed, reminding her that he was right there, and she laughed. "Okay, maybe not that often. Actually, not very often at all. He's really taken his marksman training seriously, and straight up, he's less likely to get himself in trouble or in danger than Calla."

"Hey!" Calla retorted. "I'm right here."

"Oh, I know." Bree smiled sweetly. Calla glowered at her.

"Moving on," Gus said quickly. "Chase, your favorite sibling, go!"

"No thanks." Chase chuckled. "Even if Adam's not here, I know better than to pick my favorite out of him, Bree, Leo, and Daniel. That being said, I have a better relationship with Bree than any of my other siblings."

"I suppose that's the best we'll get." Gus sighed. "So, aside from Calla and Sabrina, did you ever develop feelings for anyone else?"

"Well, serious feelings? No. But everyone has a crush from now or then. There were a couple of girls at school – Samantha Clarke, Helen Walters, I had a crush on them for a bit." Chase answered. Calla looked at him, a little surprised, but not jealous. "You're still prettier though."

"Duh." Calla replied, settling against him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"So, Kaz, what made Stephanie attractive to you?" Rebeccka asked. Kaz thought about it.

"I mean, she was pretty, and rich, so that certainly helped, but I think it was her confidence. Say what you will about the girl, but when it came to getting what she wanted, she was bold. And that's hot." He admitted.

"Bree, after college, what do you plan on doing?" Gus inquired.

"Well, eventually, I want to curate my own museum." She replied. "But my immediate plans are to get a job in an art museum and work my way up."

"That's cool." Rebeccka grinned. "Remind me, I know some people who you might want to talk to about that. But first, Leo, did you ever meet the people who found Taylor in the field? And if so, who are they?"

"They're a family of farmers out in Arizona. I've never met them personally – Taylor didn't want to go back, since they were clearly afraid of her and her bionics – but I know Taylor sent them some money as a thank you for taking her in for as long as they did."

"Alright, and what are everyone's middle names?" Gus questioned.

"Daphne. My middle name is Daphne." Bree replied.

"Mine's Bradley." Jaden answered.

"Bridget, unfortunately." Dani scowled.

"Dale." Kaz answered. Rebeccka stopped him.

"Your full name is Kazimerias Dale Broadman?" She questioned. He nodded in confirmation, to which Rebeccka responded by looking at Kihonne for an explanation.

"You try coming up with names all day long." The writer retorted, good-naturedly. "Oh, mine's Nicole, if anyone was wondering."

"Alexandria." Calla replied.

"Donald, to no one's surprise." Chase chuckled.

"Mathew, like my dad." Oliver explained. Skylar hesitated.

"My people don't include middle names when naming baby Calderans." She explained. "I mean, if I had to pick, I'd choose Connie, because it was the name I went by back in Philadelphia, but I don't officially have one."

"And mine is Francis." Leo sighed, still disliking the name.

"Mine is Brooke, if anyone cares. Anyway, time for the last set of questions for the night." Rebeccka declared. "They're from MayLeaf2001. Let's start with the hard ones. Everyone except for Dani, Leo, and Kihonne, how do you guys feel about Dani leaving and coming back?"

"Well…" Chase looked at everyone, "I think I can speak for everyone when I say it's been an adjustment. Obviously, we weren't expecting any of it, and there's going to be a lot of trust issues from now on, but ultimately, we're just glad that Dani's alright."

"Does anyone else have something to add?" Rebeccka inquired. The group all responded in the negative. "Alright, Dani, the same question for you. How do you feel about being back and having to leave in the first place?"

"Relieved, to be honest. Working for Mom, having to watch my back all the time, well I wouldn't exactly describe it as fun. It's good to be back. Uh, there's a lot of guilt – I'm fully aware that a lot of the team have an issue with what I did or how I went about it and I'm sorry that I hurt everyone – and now I'm just trying to fix things." She replied. "As for how it felt to leave in the first place, it broke my heart. I didn't want to do it, I hated it, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by all these criminals and I really felt like I was alone with my back against the wall."

"Okay, let's change topics. Bree, Jaden, you're living together now." Gus pointed out. "How's that feel? How's it going? Bree, do you miss living in the penthouse with everyone else?"

"I think it's going well. Better than I expected, to be honest." Bree admitted. "I like it, even though yeah, I do miss always being around my friends. This is just…it's right for us, especially now, and I love always having him around."

"Long distance was killing us." Jaden agreed. "And now, I don't ever have to spend another night away from her."

"Aw, you guys are adorable. Chase, Calla, you guys might have competition for the 'cutest couple ever'." Rebeccka joked. Calla fixed her with a glare.

"Never." She retorted. Rebeccka chuckled.

"Alright, this one is for Kaz and the twins. How's Mighty Med 2.0. going?" She asked.

"It's going well. I mean, I'm Horace's right hand, so I've got a fair bit of control over the hospital, which is pretty cool." Oliver commented.

"More and more heroes are coming to it when they get hurt, and with the new tech Calla's adding, it's a hundred time safer than the old Mighty Med was." Kaz added. Dani nodded.

"I haven't been back yet, but I really need to." She said wistfully. "I miss it."

"You can cover my shift on Thursday." Oliver offered. "I was hoping to get out of it anyway; I've got plans with Skylar."

"Sweet." Dani beamed.

"Jaden, you're up next. You're the only one without powers now. How does that feel?" Gus questioned.

"Normal, I guess." He shrugged. "I'm not some soldier boy – I'm totally happy helping in Mission Command when they need it, but I'm not really a mission guy, so it's no big deal."

"And how did you feel about Calla getting powers?" Gus pressed. Jaden shot his sister a look.

"Worried, honestly. God knows my little sister got herself into enough trouble before she got powers, and I figured it would be worse now, but I have to say, they work for her." He replied. "I'm not jealous though."

"Alright, Kihonne, these next two are for you." Rebeccka announced. "You already told us what your favorite original chapter was, but what about your favorite TV show episode?"

"It's a tie." Kihonne admitted. "Either The Rise of Five or Home Sweet Home. They were the best of the series."

"Okay, and secondly, will you give Bree more offensive powers?" Rebeccka inquired.

"No." Kihonne said definitely. "I like having a character whose main use of her powers isn't to just destroy her enemies. Bree has to use her brain as well as her powers and I like that combo. Plus, she has the thermonuclear body blast, and that's more than enough power to me."

"Okay, Calla, Bree, are you guys still really close?" Gus questioned. The girls exchanged looks.

"Hell yeah." "We're practically sisters." They said at the same time.

"Alright, two last questions, and these are for everyone. What is everyone's favorite TV show?" Rebeccka asked.

"Oh, mine is the Flash, for obvious reasons." Bree smirked.

"Master Chef." Jaden confirmed.

Dani smiled. "The 100."

"Firefly is pretty badass." Kaz mentioned.

"Killjoys, all the way." Kihonne answered.

"CSI." Calla replied.

"Rick and Morty." Was Chase's response.

"Game of Thrones." Skylar answered.

"MacGyver." Oliver grinned.

"The Gifted." Leo replied.

"Alright, and final question of the night aside from the powers you already have, what powers would you like to have?" Gus questioned.

"Ooh, I'd want to be able to walk through things, be intangible like Rio. I think that'd be awesome in combination with my invisibility." Bree commented.

"Well, if I had to pick a power, strength for sure." Jaden replied.

"I'd want to communicate with animals." Dani replied.

"Uh, let's see…I'd want to be invulnerable." Kaz answered.

Kihonne smirked. "I'd fly, no doubt about it."

"Technokinesis." Calla decided.

"I'd want to read minds." Chase commented.

"Time travel, for sure." Skylar replied.

"I'd have to go with teleportation." Oliver answered.

"I'd want to be able to manipulate gravity like Kieran is. It's wicked cool." Leo finished. Rebeccka nodded.

"Alright guys, that's it. Thanks for being here, and I guess we'll see you around." She told them. Everyone, aside from herself and Gus started to leave. "Not you, hot-head. I wanna talk to you."

Kaz lingered by the exit, confused. "O-Kay." He frowned, going to sit down next to the desk. Rebeccka leaned in.

"Okay, one more question from MayLeaf2001, not sure if I should ask in front of the others. Who knows about your little time travel adventure, and how much did you change?"

"I don't know." Kaz admitted. "I mean, as far as I know, the only ones who know are me, Calla, and Alivia. But as for how much changed, we really don't know the full scope of it. The death toll from the Mighty Med Massacre dropped by about three dozen people, mostly superheroes though some were some of the regular patients from the hospital that disguised Mighty Med, and there's a few subtle changes here and there, like the speed at which Calla invented some of her items and the number of people who've joined the NLH, but we really don't know. And we don't want to tell the others until we know for sure what damage could have been caused."

"Alright. A secret then." Rebeccka nodded seriously. Kaz nodded back.

"Can I go?" He asked. She nodded and, after waving one last time to the crowd, he ran after his friends.

"And there you have it folks; that's the end of our final Q&A!" Gus announced.

"It's been really fun to do these for you guys!" Rebeccka added. "But I'm afraid it's time for us to go."

"We'll see you around, folks.

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, that was the last Q &A of the series. For all the stories, I might add. Anyway, what did you guys think of this and Train Job? Seriously, I want to know what you guys thought. Good, bad, somewhere in between? Let me know! Anyway, here's the schedule for the rest of the season:**

 **November 5** **th** **: Bionics VS Superpowers**

 **November 12** **th** **: Whatever It Takes**

 **November 19** **th** **: When The Dust Clears**

 **Oh, and don't let me forget, I've got a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT next chapter! Anyway, until next time folks!**


	35. Old School Part 1

**Kihonne: Hey guys, I'd like to say once again, thank you so much for your patience with Bionics VS Superpowers. Anyway, since it's been a while since the last real update, I won't talk for long. It's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapters so much, especially the Oliver and Dani scenes. I hope you like this chapter too.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked them, especially the Bree/Jaden surprises. I'm also glad you liked hearing it from Oliver's perspective. As for Skylar, I think she's more seeing it from the perspective of a teammate; she doesn't think Dani's habit of taking such risky choices benefits the team, and that at least if Dani's on her own, the only one who gets hurt from her actions is herself. Skylar's also speaking from personal experience – she was a solo hero herself until the Annihilator stole her powers, remember? But regardless of what Skylar thinks, it's what Dani thinks is best for her that matters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Astronema2345: Well, after this story and the upcoming one-shot story I've got planned, I do intend on doing a story based on their children.**

 **Algernon23: I'm glad you enjoyed them, and I know right? I have a spread sheet where I keep track of the characters' ages per season, and it's crazy to look how much they've grown up. I mean, Leo was 14 when the Lab Assistant started, and now he's 20 years old. It's crazy. And no, they're not the same numbers. Actually, the numbers and letters from the time travel chapter actually stood for the location and date (it might have been a little more obvious if Fanfiction hadn't cut out some of the digits. I think the website thought that I was writing in a website and decided to take some of the digits out). This is a whole new set of numbers. But you'll actually get to see these deciphered in the story, so I won't tell you what they say yet. Keep theorizing though – they're important. No, I didn't take it badly, I was just a little confused by the comment. You're right – the lack of action made it seem shorter. I'm glad you enjoyed the Q &A, especially the last questioned. I separated it for two reasons: 1, I want Kaz's little time travel adventure to remain a secret for now, and 2, because it's a really relevant question to the next season. Thanks for the offer for help with the next few seasons, though I'm not sure how much I'll need it. I've planned most of it out to the last detail this time around, rather than basic chapter summaries like I did for the 2** **nd** **season, and I actually know exactly how things are going to end, so I think I've got a pretty good handle on it. Then again, I might still take you up on it. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters, and I hope you like the rest of them.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Yes, Jaden and Bree have a lot going on for them right now. And you're absolutely right – Kaz's time travel stunt is going to start Flashpointing (love the reference) very soon. Actually, it's going to have a big effect on the villains of the next season. Oh, and thanks for pointing that out – with so many people getting asked the same question, it's hard to keep track. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters, and I hope you like this one too.**

 **SzymonS: Well, it's always fun to bring back old villains like that. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: A few people had guess about Bree's condition, though most people guessed right off the words 'stomach bug'. Honestly, if I'd had her word it differently, I don't think that many people would have guessed. And actually, there's not going to be so many problems with Bree being pregnant as well as an active team member; there's only a couple of chapters left of the season, then there's a year gap between seasons. By time season 3 comes around, Bree and Jaden's baby will have been born. There was a reason I wanted to do the reveal towards the end of the season as opposed to the beginning or middle. I'm glad you liked that I had Jaden propose first – that was actually a last minute decision that I made a few hours prior to posting the chapter. As for the wedding, you'll get to see a little bit of it during the one-shot series, though not the whole thing. Oliver and Dani's conversation is definitely going to help, though you won't see them as close as they were prior to Dani going undercover. And of course Kaz is afraid of crocodiles – like he said in the chapter, it's common sense. LOL. I'm glad you liked the Carrie bit – I thought it would be nice to have her back. Oh, and hell yeah the weapon designer is going to be important next season. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the Bree/Jaden excitement, as well as the rest of the chapters and the answers to your questions, and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Daniel: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"…and then we got the crocodiles back to the zoo." Kaz finished, pausing briefly near the end to shove another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

"Damn, we miss all the good stuff." Calla complained, taking a sip of her coffee. She, Chase, Bree, and Jaden had just returned from their high school reunion last night, and we were catching her up on what she had missed. Bree and Jaden would be coming over later – they wanted to have a team meeting for some reason – and with Chase out of the house, we were all swapping stories.

"Well, I think a train robbery is pretty cool." I mentioned. She shrugged.

"I'm just interested in the tech. Whoever designed it, they're a genius." Calla declared. Skylar frowned.

"Are they smarter than you?" She questioned. Calla gave her an offended look.

"God no. Why would you ask such a thing?" She demanded. Skylar raised her hands in surrender. "But they are smart. I will give them that."

"I take it you're going to try and track them down?" I guessed. She shrugged.

"Eventually, yes. But it'll take me a while, though." She admitted. "And with Gao's plans on removing your powers, I think I've got bigger priorities."

"We do need to figure out a way to stop him." Skylar agreed. Kaz looked at Calla.

"Can't you build something that will stop him?" He questioned. "Easy-peasy, right?"

"Well, it's a little harder than that." She replied, not unkindly. "But Chase and I have been working on a device that should protect you guys. But we're waiting on a couple of parts. We should be able to finish it in a week or so."

"What about Bree and Chase?" I asked, curious. "I mean, will Gao's device affect them?"

"It shouldn't, right? Because they're bionic." Skylar guessed. Calla nodded.

"From what Dani's told me, Gao's only thinking about the power side of things. I guess they figure that if they can incapacitate most of the team, then they can deal with Bree and Chase easier." Calla reasoned, just as the front door opened and Dani and Chase walked in, back from their morning jog. "Hey, there's pancakes left if you want some."

"Thanks babe." Chase walked over and kissed Calla on the check, putting his arms on her shoulders. She squirmed away.

"No, you're sweaty." She complained, laughing. Chase chuckled.

"Well, then maybe I should go take a shower." He murmured suggestively. She smiled, not displeased with the suggestion.

"Maybe-" She stopped midsentence as the door to the penthouse opened once more and AJ walked in. He didn't say anything, instead plopping face down on the couch. The rest of us all exchanged confused, mildly amused glances before Dani walked over to the boy and patted his back.

"Something wrong, bud?" She guessed gently. He looked up with a sigh.

"Oh, hey. I heard you were back." He greeted her, slowly sitting up. She gave him a small smile.

"Alright, what's up, AJ?" Chase asked, looking at him.

"I'm leaving." He declared theatrically. "Forever."

"But you just got here." Kaz teased. AJ sent him a glare. "What do you mean, you're leaving?"

"My uncle just died." He said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry." Dani told him, her tone sympathetic. He shrugged.

"He never really liked me, to be honest. But he and my mom were always really close. Like, as close as you guys were." He gestured at Dani and I. We exchanged looks, noticing his use of the past tense.

"What happened?" Skylar asked gently, going to sit down on the opposite side of the couch. AJ shrugged.

"The cops think it was a robbery or something." He replied. "Anyway, now that he's gone, Mom wants us to go back to her home town. Something about dealing with certain arrangements and stuff. It doesn't really matter; we're moving, and we're not coming back."

"I'm sorry AJ. That really sucks." Calla told him. He nodded, still upset. "When do you leave?"

"Like, tomorrow." He complained. "I mean, I'm home-schooled so it's not like Mom has to do any paperwork there, and we still have the family estate out in Philadelphia."

"Your family's from Philadelphia?" I asked, a little surprised. "Huh, I never knew that."

"Well, now you do." AJ grumbled irritably. Calla glanced at Chase, then back at AJ.

"Alright, how about this? I'll set you up with a bunch of tech before you leave. That way, you can still help us on missions and such even though you're far away." She suggested. He considered it.

"Have you finished fixing the geoleap watches?" He countered. She grinned.

"Absolutely." She agreed. He grinned.

"C'mon. I'll show you what we've been working on." Chase offered, leading him towards the hidden elevator. I watched them go, shaking my head sympathetically for AJ.

 **Calla's POV**

"Team Meeting!" Jaden wasted no time gathering all of us, making his declaration as soon as he and Bree walked through the front door. The rest of us all exchanged looks, a little confused, before gathering in the living room.

"Twenty bucks, he proposed." Kaz whispered to me, smirking.

"Twenty bucks says she's pregnant." I'd been watching my friend lately, and I was pretty sure of that. Kaz smirked, confident that he'd win the bet, as we all sat down on the couch.

"Alright, so we have an announcement to make." Bree declared once we'd all gathered. She looked at Jaden, waiting for him to say what it was. But before he could, MISS spoke up.

" _I apologize for interrupting, but Miss Calla, you asked to be informed if I found one of our fugitives."_ The AI announced. I hesitated, then looked at my brother and my sister-in-law.

"We can wait." Jaden assured me, glancing at Bree for confirmation.

"Go ahead, MISS." Chase encouraged. The TV flicked on and an image of Dr. Gao and Mort appeared, the two criminals driving along a town road in a black SUV.

"This photo was taken thirteen minutes ago by a security camera outside a post office in Blanchard, North Dakota." MISS informed us. Skylar frowned.

"What's in Blanchard?" She questioned.

"Nothing, really." Chase replied after checking his onboard computer. "It's pretty small, with barely anyone actually living there. The only thing significant about it is the KVLY-TV mast."

"The what?" Dani frowned, confused.

" _The KVLT-TV mast, standing at 2063 feet, is the tallest man-made structure in the western hemisphere and the tallest radio mast in the world."_ MISS supplied.

"What would Bridget want with a radio tower?" Jaden asked.

"Nothing good." Oliver replied.

"What about their device to block powers?" AJ offered up an idea. "Maybe it works through radio signals. If they've got it finished, it would be the best place to broadcast from."

"AJ's right." Bree agreed. "That's got to be their goal."

"Let's go then. We have to stop them before they activate that device." Chase instructed. We all started to get up, but MISS stopped us once more.

"I'm afraid it appears that you have another problem; there's been a break in at the Davenport Industries Headquarters in Mission Creek, California." She announced. I frowned, displeased.

"No way that's a coincidence." Skylar commented. I shook my head.

"No, not at all." I turned and looked at Chase. "Okay, so we split up. I'll take Bree and Skylar to the HQ with me, you take the rest."

"Why not take Kaz or Oliver as well?" He questioned. I shook my head.

"Gao's device is our number one priority, and we can handle whoever broke in." I promised him. He gave me a look. "If it makes you feel better, I'll get some help from the Academy while we're down there, alright?"

"Fine." Chase agreed reluctantly. I smirked, then turned to Bree and Skylar.

"Let's go, girls." I called, leading them out the door. Already my phone was in my hand, my thumb flying over the touch screen keyboard.

 **Oliver's POV**

"They're at the top of the tower." Chase declared, his hand held over his forehead as he narrowed his eyes at the top of the tower. The rest of us would just have to take his word for it – the only reason he could see them was because of his bionic eyes.

"How did they even get up there?" Kaz questioned, confused.

"Gao must have geoleaped them." Dani decided.

"The question is, how do we get up there?" Jaden asked. I glanced at Kaz and Dani, the three of us wearing matching smirks. "Oh, crap."

"Oh c'mon, it's not so bad." Dani assured him.

"If you guys drop us, I swear to God…" Chase let the threat hang. Kaz let out a laugh before he and Dani each grabbed one of Chase's arms and lifted him into the air. I followed suit, grabbing hold of Jaden's jacket tightly before flying after them.

"Hey boys!" Dani shouted a moment later, just before she and Kaz dropped Chase onto the metal platform at the top of the tower. I dropped Jaden next to him, even as Gao, Mort, and a third individual – a tall, dark haired guy with creepy yellow eyes – stepped away from the base of the tower. A small metal box sat behind them, attached to the antenna.

"Well, if it isn't the blood traitor and her little do-gooder BFFs." Mort sneered upon seeing us. We all dropped to the platform, hearing it squeak underneath us.

"Blood traitor?" Dani repeated. She smirked, glancing at Kaz. "You know, I think I like that. I see you've replaced me," she gestured at the newcomer. The guy just smirked at her, not saying anything. "I'm taking you down first, pal."

"Give it up, Gao. We know what you're planning, and it's not going to work." Chase told him.

"If you truly believe that's the first time I've heard something like that, you are mistaken." Gao replied dismissively. He looked at Mort and the new guy. "Deal with them."

"Gladly." The newbie replied. He raised his hands and suddenly, several of the tools from Gao's toolbox came flying at us. I ducked as a hammer went flying directly by my face, narrowly avoiding the nasty blow.

I spun around and released my cryoblast at the same time as Jaden and Dani shot at the newcomer, one with a blast from a plasma gun and the other with a miniature lightning bolt. Unfortunately, the newcomer used his powers to rip a piece of metal out of the platform and into the air, holding it out in front of him like a shield. While the lightning electrified the sheet of metal, it still managed to protect him from all of our attacks. I could see him smirk from behind his shelter as two more pieces of metal were torn from the platform, joining the original in the air in front of him.

"Metal manipulation or telekinesis?" Dani called, glancing at me. I shrugged.

"Does it matter?" I retorted. Everything in the vicinity that could be controlled was all metal, after all, so it wasn't like either one would give us some sort of advantage.

Meanwhile, neither Chase nor Kaz were having an easier time – Mort had clearly been practicing since the last time we'd seen him, as his quick-hardening globs of spit were coming faster than ever, and his reflexes equally so. I'd never even seen him in hand-to-hand combat before, but clearly he was adapt, because in between keeping Kaz at bay with his spit, he was going at Chase with all his might. Meanwhile, all this fighting was giving Gao the perfect opportunity to work on his project.

"Drop!" Jaden shouted. I reacted instantly, dropping low just in time to avoid getting clocked by a wrench. I looked at the newcomer in frustration, then suddenly got hit by something other than a wrench: it was an idea.

" _Dee, follow my lead!"_ I called to my sister telepathically. She stopped herself midway through creating another lightning bolt, nodding to acknowledge my words. I nodded upwards and the two of us flew into the sky to get a better angle. "Hey, buddy!" I shouted at the new guy before sending a jet of water his way, focusing hard to keep the water from freezing midair. Unsurprisingly, the shields protected him from the attack, the water rebounding and creating a massive puddle at his feet.

"Man, I'm not going to melt just because you get me a little wet!" The new guy called, rolling his eyes at me.

"Well, maybe this might make a bigger dent in your ego." Dani called before sending an array of sparks not at the criminal, but at the puddle itself. He realized what was going on a split second too late, his eyes widening in realization just as the shock raced through the water and electrocuted him.

He let out a shout of pain, stumbling backwards as the electricity ran its course through his body. Jaden took advantage of the attack, aiming his weapon at the newcomer's chest. As soon as it looked like he'd recovered, Jaden pulled the trigger, shooting him in the ribs with a plasma blast.

Chase and Kaz were also gaining ground on their opponent, using their number and a series of combo attacks to keep him down. As it was, Kaz had Mort pinned, using his pyrokinesis to keep him cornered, while Chase circled the ring of fire with his bo staff out and ready.

"You think you've won." Gao declared, drawing our attention back to him. He was standing over the box from earlier, except now there were lights blinking on it, starting out slow and then beginning to speed up. "You're wrong."

Chase stopped what he was doing immediately, his bo staff disappearing a a wince appeared on his face. When he reached up towards his ears, I realized that the box must have released some sort of high pitched noise that must be painful to his ultra-sensitive ears. "What was that?" He demanded. Before Gao could reply, if he was even going to reply, the atmosphere changed. Suddenly, it was as if it were charged with something, something that just felt wrong to my very bones. I didn't have a chance to contemplate what it could be, because the next thing I knew, I was falling.

Both Dani and I dropped out of the sky at the same time, our ability to fly suddenly out of our reaches, and being as close to the edge as we were, that wasn't a good thing. Dani got lucky – she was just able to grab ahold of the platform, her legs dangling precariously off the edge – but unfortunately for me, I was not so fortunate. I let out a surprised shout as I fell past the edge of the platform, unable to even reach out to save myself.

"Whoa!" Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. I looked up, letting out an audible sigh of relief to see Kaz looking down at me. With Jaden's help, he helped pull me back onto the platform.

Chase, meanwhile, was facing Gao. "Too bad your device doesn't work on bionics." He smirked, raising his hand to summon his bo staff. But nothing happened.

"Doesn't it?" The newcomer challenged, amused. Chase stared at him, stupefied. The newcomer raised his hand and the tools from before starting floating back to him. "Well, would you look at that?"

"Enough, Titanium. We've done what we came here to do." Gao warned him. He looked at us, a mixture of pity and amusement in his gaze. "Until next time, heroes."

Mort grabbed the newcomer, Titanium, by the arm and just like that, all three of them were gone. I dropped my head back onto the platform.

"Shit." We were all thinking it.

"Uh, guys?" Kaz looked over the edge of the platform, then at us, a somewhat concerned look on his face. "How do we get down?"

 **Calla's POV**

I looked up from my laptop as the door to the penthouse opened up. Chase, Jaden, Oliver, Kaz, and Dani all walked in, a little roughed up but otherwise unhurt. "Oh thank god."

"Jaden!" Bree, who'd previously be speaking with Skylar and her brother, raced up to them (at human speed, unfortunately) and wrapped her arms around my brother's neck. "It's been hours."

"We got stuck on top of the tower." Chase explained. He glanced between Adam, who was still in the kitchen with Skylar, and Leo, who was on the couch with me. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Calla said she needed some back up." Adam explained. Chase nodded at me.

"Good call." He commented. I nodded appreciatively.

"So, let me guess; you found Gao and Mort at the tower, you fought for a bit, and then suddenly, your powers, bionics and superpowers, were gone. Then they disappeared without bothering to continue the fight." Skylar commented, walking over to them.

"That pretty much sums it up." Kaz agreed, frustrated. "That happen to you?"

"Yeah, Sebastian and Lexi were the intruders." Bree explained. "They fought us while a virus or something was downloading, then disappeared just like that."

"You guys okay?" Jaden demanded quickly, looking directly at Bree. She gave him a strange smile, as if that look between them meant more than an outsider could understand.

"We're okay." She promised him.

"I thought their device wouldn't affect the bionics." Oliver commented, almost accusingly.

"It didn't." Leo supplied. The others all looked at us, confused. "Gao's device wasn't the one who blocked the bionics."

"What do you mean?" Dani questioned. I sighed.

"Alright, so, as it turns out, Bridget's team had two plans in play. Plan A was to prevent the superheroes from using their powers." I explained, looking. "It's a bit of an explanation, but here are the basics: all enhanced human beings or superheroes, as well as certain alien species, including Calderans, have an enlarged parieto-occipital cortex. That's the nerve that affects hand-eye coordination. Now, according to Dr. Diaz, that nerve also affects the brain's ability to activate or deactivate powers. Our working theory is that Gao's device released a high-pitched frequency that affected that nerve. He used the tower to broadcast this frequency across all of North America."

"Since the rest of us normal people have normal sized parieto-occipital cortexes, it won't affect us at all, but those with enlarged ones are cut off from activating their powers." Leo finished. I nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but we broke the device." Jaden commented. "We tossed it off the top of the tower – all that's left is pieces. Why can't you guys use your powers now?"

"There's residual damage from the frequency. It's minor and should fix itself in anywhere from twenty-four to seventy-two hours, depending on the person." I reasoned. "Or, at least, that's what Dr. Diaz says."

"Horace is usually right about that kind of thing." Oliver reasoned.

"What about the bionics?" Bree questioned.

"That's Plan B, which is annoying more simple." I grumbled.

"That virus that Sebastian and Lexi downloaded pretty much fried the entire bionics system. Every bionic chip has been deactivated. It'll take days to get them up and running again." Leo added, just as frustrated about this as I was.

"Wait, how come the bad guys were able to use their powers and bionics?" Adam inquired, frowning in confusion.

"Well, the bionics are obvious; since Sebastian, Lexi, and Gao are using chips that have never been in our system, then they would never been affected by the virus." Chase reasoned. "As for Bridget, Titanium and Mort, it's possible that they found a way to protect their parieto-occipital cortexes from the frequency. I mean, it's not that hard – there are hundreds of materials that would block that sort of thing. If we'd known that was how they were going to block our powers, then we could have rigged something up easy."

"Titanium?" Skylar repeated. Jaden nodded.

"New guy. He can control metal, I think." He mentioned. Skylar nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard of him. He used to be one of Clone Master's enemies." She mentioned. "I didn't realize he was working for Bridget."

"From what we gather, he's my replacement." Dani replied.

"So, what now?" Oliver questioned.

"Well, we can't wait for them to attack." I reasoned. I looked at the others. "Look, they had to have known that their plan would only work temporarily – they have to have a plan."

"If we go after them now, it'll disrupt whatever they're planning. We might be able to stop their plan all together." Kaz agreed.

"That's all fine and dandy, but we have no powers, no bionics, and no real plan." Chase pointed out the problems. "If we break into their headquarters now, like this, we won't walk out of there alive."

"Chase is right; we can't just break into their HQ and expect things to go our way." Bree decided. "But so are Kaz and Dani. We can't just sit around and wait for them to unleash whatever evil plan they're about to unleash."

"What if we attack them somewhere other than their headquarters?" Adam suggested.

"As in draw them out?" Skylar questioned. "How?"

"I…I might have an idea about that, actually." Dani spoke up. We all looked at her. "I mean, it's a really, really bad idea, but it's better than nothing."

"The really, really bad idea it is." Jaden decided.

"Whoa, hold on. How bad an idea are we talking?" Bree questioned. Dani rolled her eyes.

"Don't you trust me?" She questioned. When Bree didn't answer, I spoke up.

"What's the idea, Dani?" I questioned. She looked slightly hurt by the lack of response to her first question, then shook herself from it. She told us her idea.

"No way, no way in hell are we doing that." Leo retorted. The rest of us shared uneasy glances; Dani hadn't been exaggerating when she told us it was a really bad idea.

"Maybe we should think of something else." Jaden agreed slowly. Dani shook her head, frustrated.

"This is the only guaranteed way to draw them out." She insisted. "Look, I'll take responsibility if things go sideways."

"Well, yeah. I mean, you sorta started this whole thing." Skylar pointed out.

"That's enough." Chase stopped her. Skylar shook her head.

"I'm not saying this is her fault. It's not your fault." She added, addressing Dani personally. "What Bridget's done is her own actions. But you did restart this fight against her, and this is your plan, so if things go sideways, it is your problem to deal with."

"She's not wrong." Dani agreed, cutting Kaz off before he could argue on his girlfriend's defense. "My idea, my actions, my consequences."

"Look, does anyone have any better ideas?" Chase sighed. No one spoke up. "Then Dani's plan it is."

"Okay, but that only solves the problem of drawing them out." Oliver sighed. "We're still going in without powers or bionics. What are we supposed to do, throw rocks at them?"

I smirked and looked at Leo. "I guess we're going old school."

 **Oliver's POV**

"This is what you call old school?" I questioned. I held up the weapon Calla had handed me – a nifty little handgun-like blaster she called the paragun. She smirked, as she adjusted her own weapon – a glove that could shoot balls of plasma from its palm.

"More or less." She replied. The rest of the team were decked out with similar weapons – Leo carrying the largest blaster of the group, something called the concussion blaster, while Bree had a paragun identical to mine. Jaden and Kaz both had plasma guns in their hands, while Adam and Skylar had chosen to use their fists instead, arguing that they were far better at hand-to-hand combat than armed combat. Chase and Dani, on the other hand, had unconventional weapons to say the least – Chase was carrying a metal bow staff while Dani held her favorite bow in one hand, a quiver of arrows on her back. Both weapons were rudimentary, but Calla had modified them by magnetizing the handles (so Titanium couldn't steal them away) and giving Dani a selection of specialty arrows that Calla had been planning on sending to Arciere and Crossbow.

" _A bow and arrow, Dee, really?"_ I teased my sister, trying to lighten her mood. I could tell she wasn't pleased by the others reactions to her plan. She glanced at me.

" _I wasn't on the Logan High archery team for nothing, Ollie."_ She replied, forcing thoughts of earlier out of her mine. "There she is!"

Sure enough, just as planned, our old friend Alivia was waiting for us in the Centium City Central Park, carrying a particular package under her arm. "You sure this is going to work?" The Irish hero questioned, even as she handed the Arcturion space rock over to Jaden.

"According to Philip, anyone with a significant amount of greed and darkness in their soul finds themselves drawn to the power of the Arcturion." Dani replied. "And, well, I'm pretty sure my mother and her minions fall under that category. Thanks for coming."

The red-head gave her a friendly smile. "Always." She assured her.

"Okay, so here's the plan." Chase turned around to face all of us. "Protect the Arcturion at all costs. It may be the perfect bait, but if it falls into Bridget or any of her minions' hands, we're going to be in serious trouble. Don't do anything stupid-"

"Stupider than facing the most powerful supervillain in the world without powers or backup?" Adam interrupted. Chase ignored him.

"And work together. That's our best asset as a team." He reminded us.

"Oh please, you think being a team will actually save you?" We spun around to see Mort, Titanium, Lexi, Sebastian, Dr. Gao, and, right at the front, my mother coming towards us from the other side of the park.

"I can't believe they fell for that." Leo whispered to Calla.

"What, your little trap?" Sebastian sneered. "Please, we saw it coming a mile away."

"And yet, you still showed up." Skylar retorted.

"It's not as if you're much of a threat." Titanium sneered.

"Hand over the Arcturion." Mom instructed. She was looking directly at Dani and I. "This is the last chance I'll give you to walk away peacefully."

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that we weren't going to let you win, Mother." Dani retorted. I nodded in agreement.

"Then so be it." Mom shrugged. She looked at her minions. "Don't injure my children too severely, but feel free to kill the others."

The rest of us all exchanged one last meaningful look, knowing fully well that if we didn't beat them here and now, the world was most likely screwed. And with that last happy thought, we charged into battle.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you think Old School Part 1? Good, bad, in-between? Don't forget to review! Next week's chapter is going to be the epic season finale, so I hope you guys are excited. I'll be posting that on November 26** **th** **!**

 **Oh, and for those you who missed the author's note I posted last week, I announced that The Power of Seven is going to be going on HIATUS between seasons 2 and 3, but don't worry, because I'll be posting a series of drabbles about the characters in an upcoming story called 'The Year Between'. I think you guys are really going to like it, so stay tuned!**


	36. Old School Part 2

**Kihonne: Alright guys, it's time for the season finale! I know you're all excited to see how this turns out, so I won't babble for very long. First off, I'll say Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, and then we'll move straight onto shoutouts, shall we?**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: No, she does not. As for Bree's baby, I felt it was important that she participate in this mission, considering how much work they've already put into stopping Bridget and with so much on the line. But don't worry, Jaden will protect them. As for Bridget's plan, that's a good thought, but you'll get to hear what it really was later this chapter. As for why it usually ends up two against one, my opinion is that it's because usually, writers (in TV, movies, and literature) prefer to write hero characters rather than villain characters, and as such end up writing more heroes. By time they look at their cast of characters, they usually end up having around twice as many heroes as there are villains, and it's easier to have them team up rather than finding something else for the extra heroes to do. At least that's what I've always found, though I like your theory too. As for Skylar's opinion, I'm not saying she's right or wrong, but she does have every reason to believe that - Dani's involvement directly got the team involved, and possibly moved up Bridget's time table. Would it all have happened anyway? Probably, but Dani did make the first move, so it's not totally crazy for Skylar to think that.** **Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Algernon23: Yeah, it's pretty bad plan, but to be fair, they really have no good options. Anyway, looking forward to your overall review, and I hope you enjoy the chapter, just as much as I hope you have a good Thanksgiving!**

 **Shadow-Wolf78: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Good questions. First, it's pronounced like the metal. As for Leo's bionic arm and leg, even though they don't have the same capabilities as a person with a bionic chip does, they do technically have to be connected wirelessly through a system (which I assume would be the same as the others). Otherwise, it would be impossible to ever update the tech, which they would reasonably need to do as programs can corrupt and such. Reasonably, I would assume (both in the actual show, and my story) that they have some sort of wireless chip (even though it's not a bionic chip) that connects Leo's arm and leg to the same system as Adam, Bree, and Chase's chips. So, in summary, yes, they would be affected. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

 **SzymonS: Really, they're just hoping their experience will be enough. But keep in mind, Adam, Bree, and Chase did beat Giselle and her guys without powers, so I'd say they've got a bit of chance. As for the bad guys plan, I'm going to elaborate more on that in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

 **Guest: My favorite characters are Leo and Chase. I really couldn't choose between them. They're both pretty awesome.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the compliments. I will admit that I really look forward to your reviews. I suppose you're right about finding stuff out a little before I reveal it for real. I'm glad you're excited about the pregnancy and the wedding – those are going to be fun to work with. As for the weapon designer, trust me, that's going to take you by surprise. They are just one of a few new characters I plan on introducing for the third and final season. Yes, I agree that it would be pretty odd if Calla hadn't guessed that Bree was pregnant, or at the very least that something wasn't normal with her. The team really didn't have any good options there. As for Dani's relationship with the team…well, all I can say is that their relationship, trust and all, will be seriously impacted by the time skip, particularly by certain decisions that will be made in this chapter as well as some of the events of The Year Between. Though yes, Jaden and Bree are definitely going to have their hands full, though the baby won't be the only big thing that they, and the rest of the team, are going to be dealing with. As for AJ, I promise you that this will not be the last time we see him. I'm not having him move just to get rid of the kid, that's for sure. Titanium is just a regular villain who happened to picked up by Bridget. He might make future appearances though, depending on how certain chapters play out. And I think Oliver had a heart attack too. I'm glad you liked the guest appearances. Unfortunately, this might be the final appearance of both Leo and Adam in the Power of Seven story (don't worry, they're in The Year Between), but you will be seeing more Alivia. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright folks, time for the season finale!**

 **Bridget: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"Don't injure my children too severely, but feel free to kill the others." My mother told her minions, giving them one last order. We all exchanged looks, not entirely surprised by her words; we hadn't expected them to give up without a fight.

"I've got Lexi!" Bree shouted before racing after her nemesis, her boyfriend (possible fiancé, if I had to guess what the news they'd wanted to share with the team was) chasing after them. The speedster bolted just out of their weapons' range, sticking close enough to tease Bree for her lack of speed.

Unsurprisingly, Alivia went after Titanium on her own. Her father had always considered him one of his greatest enemies, and it wasn't a shock to anyone that the Irish superhero would want to take down the metal manipulator for him.

Though our original plan had been to go after our Mom – our mother, our responsibility after all – but unfortunately, Mort got to us first, cutting us off from the others with a well-aimed shot of his spit. Dani and I stopped in our tracks, turning to face him. He paced around us slowly, tongue flicking through his teeth.

Dani and I exchanged looks before aiming our weapons at him. If we had to go through him to get to our mother, so be it.

 **Kaz's POV**

I ducked as a blast of green energy flew past my head, just narrowly missing me. A blast of blue plasma was shot back at Gao from where Calla was taking cover behind a tree, though unfortunately, Gao geoleaped just out of harm's way. It looked like the criminal mastermind had given himself just about every bionic ability in the book, and things weren't going well.

"Ah!" Calla cried out as Gao sent a massive fireball towards her, setting the tree on fire. She backed away from it, falling back on her butt to avoid being roasted alive by a secondary blast.

"Hey, Gao!" I shouted, trying to get his attention off her for a second. I aimed my plasma gun at him and fired a couple of shots, only for them to miss by half a foot. I scowled, annoyed – I was far better with my pyrokinesis than I was with one of Calla's weapons – but at least it had the effect I'd been hoping for: Gao's attention was now solely focused on me, giving Calla the chance to come up with a new strategy to take him down.

I dodged to the left as a half-plasma, half-fire ball soared past me, then jumped as high as I could as Gao shot one at my legs, probably trying to catch me off guard. I landed back on the ground a second later, unhurt but with the soles of my boots hotter than they should have been. "Any time now, genius bar!" I shouted. A moment later, she complied, and a series of rapid-fire plasma balls shot out from behind a giant oak tree.

One of them managed to catch Gao in the shoulder, knocking him off balance. I took advantage of the blow and charged at him, tackling him to the ground. But before I could slam him into the dirt, he disappeared, geoleaping God knows where. "Where'd he go?" Calla demanded, stepping out from behind her tree. I shook my head helplessly, unsure. I was about to voice my opinion that maybe he went to attack one of the others when Gao suddenly reappeared directly behind.

"Behind you!" I shouted, but it was too late. Gao put her in a headlock, holding his arm against her throat so hard that I could tell he was cutting off her oxygen supply. Calla struggled against his grasp, slamming her elbow into his stomach as hard as she could, but with no effect. I raised my weapon, pointing it at Gao, but unwilling to pull the trigger with such a bad shot.

Calla and I locked gazes, and to my surprise, there was more confidence in her gaze than fear. She gave me a small smirk, even as she struggled to breathe, then slammed her head back against his right shoulder. To the naked eye, it would have looked like a useless attempt at escape, but I knew my teammate well enough to know that she was trying to give me a message. Taking a deep breath and praying that I didn't miss, I raised the plasma gun and pulled the trigger, the plasma ball aimed right at his shoulder. Calla twisted at the last second, doing everything in her power to turn her back to my target just before the blast hit its mark.

The plasma ball knocked Gao back, the blow allowing Calla to drop to her knees, escaping Gao's clutches. The mastermind disappeared once more, and I ran over to Calla. "You alright?" I demanded, helping her to her feet. She grinned at me.

"Good aim." She complimented as she adjusted her plasma glove. She looked around, a frown deepening on her face. "This was a mistake."

I couldn't deny the truth in her words. We really hadn't had much of a choice in coming out here – I didn't know what Bridget had been planning, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good – but we were getting our asses handed to us. In my peripheral vision, I could see the Davenport brothers near the fountain, facing off against Sebastian. They were holding their ground, sure, but just barely – Sebastian was far more powerful than I'd ever seen him, alternating between holding Chase off with a crimson plasma bo staff and fighting Adam with blasts of pure, dark energy.

Alivia wasn't doing much better, the red head barely managing to avoid these flying metal balls that Titanium was controlling. Her experience fighting him was obviously coming in handy – from what I could see, none, if any, of Titanium's attacks had hit its mark, but without her signature ability to multiply herself, she wasn't able to do much more than play on the defense.

Dani and Oliver were standing their ground over by the entrance to the park, Mort holding them off with surprising agility. He'd already hit Dani with his disgusting spit, the glob holding her left leg to the ground. She tried to twist around, aiming her bow at him as she leapt around, using a combination of inhuman agility and speed to keep her and Oliver off balance. My best friend was faring slightly better than his sister, as he was completely free of the lizard-like villain's incapacitating spit, but every one of the shots he produced from his paragun were being blocked with ease.

Bree and Jaden were still fighting off Lexi, but without much luck. Surprisingly, Bree wasn't going in physically for the kill, like she usually preferred to do, but instead hung back, choosing to keep her attacks limited to shooting blasts from her paragun from a distance. It was strange, but maybe a good idea since she didn't have her speed. Jaden was closer than her, probably because A, he was the type of guy who'd want to put himself between his girl and whatever danger they faced, despite how capable she was of taking care of herself, and B, the blasts from his plasma gun did a lot more dangerous than the paragun. His backpack was slung over his shoulder, the Arcturion Space Rock hastily shoved inside. It would hopefully be safe there – despite the fact that Lexi was dodging every single one of their blasts, they were still able to keep her at a safe distance from the powerful artifact.

Leo and Skylar were at the other end of the park, trying in vain to take down Bridget on their own. The villainous mother looked genuinely bored with them, fending them off with some sort of storm ability, if I had to guess based off the bolts of lightning that kept targeting the two. They were okay for the time being, able to predict and avoid the blasts based off the looks of the dark clouds hovering in the sky above them, but I knew that their endurance wouldn't last forever.

That was the biggest problem. None of the villains were attacking us at full force, and I knew why: they wanted to tire ourselves out. They wanted our endurance to give out so they could kill us all the easier (and presumably kidnap Dani and Oliver while they were exhausted, if Bridget had anything to do with it). And unfortunately, unless we came up with something better, it would work.

"We need a new plan. This isn't going to work." I murmured breathlessly to Calla.

"You have a better plan?" She retorted, keeping her eye out for Gao.

"You're the smart one!" I snapped. She gave me an exasperated look, then opened her mouth to say something. Instead though, she snapped it shut and aimed her plasma glove just past my head. I turned around just in time to see her shoot a plasma ball directly at Gao. He dodged the blast before sending a massive fireball at us, about the size of a dinner plate. Calla and I both leapt in opposite directions as it soared at us. We managed to get out of its path just in time, but not quick enough avoid a little bit of the singe. I winced in pain as the flames licked the back of my neck, missing my invulnerability to fire even more now.

" _We need a distraction. If we can divide their attention or give them something new to focus on, maybe we can get the advantage."_ Calla's voice echoed in my comm link. I looked over at her, watching as she scrambled behind a park bench for some cover. She ducked as a plasma ball flew over her head. _"I miss my lab."_ She admitted. _"I miss telling people what to do on missions rather than getting shot at myself."_

I looked around, trying to think of something we can use as a distraction. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to work with: a few fountains, a couple of park benches, the public restrooms…wait.

"Huh." I hummed to myself. _"Hey, the bathrooms here have electricity, right?"_ I asked.

" _Uh, yeah."_ Oliver replied a moment later, his tone sounding exhausted.

" _Kaz, I seriously doubt the bad guys are going to put everything on pause so you can take a pee break."_ Jaden commented.

"No, not what I meant. If they have electricity, there must be an electrical box, right?" I asked rhetorically. I aimed a plasma shot at Gao, scowling in frustration when it missed. He aimed a couple of blasts back at me, only for Calla to draw his fire by running out from the safety of her rock. She aimed a few blasts at his chest before ducking behind a massive tree. "Does anyone have eyes on it?"

There was a pause, the sound of blasts and shouts of frustration in the background. _"I do. North side, a few feet off the ground."_ Alivia informed me, realizing I was serious when I asked about the bathrooms.

" _What's the plan?"_ Adam called from where he was wrestling with Sebastian. I could see Chase slowly getting up from the ground a few feet away from, winded from the last attack.

"We need to distract them with something if we're going to win. Since the bathrooms are empty, who wants to help me blow them up?" I questioned, grinning.

" _Well, that would be distracting."_ Bree agreed after a moment. In the background, I could hear her paragun go off.

" _You'd need something to set it off. Something big and hot should work."_ Leo commented.

"My plasma gun should work. I mean" I reminded him, taking the chance to send a blast at Gao.

" _Yeah, but it's not powerful enough."_ Chase commented. _"If you can get it to me, I can boost its power. But I'll need someone to cover me."_

"Go!" Calla shouted to me. She jerked her head at Gao. "I've got him."

I looked at her, the nodded and made a break for it. I ducked past Gao's latest attack – yet another plasma/fire ball – and raced towards where Chase and Adam were fighting Sebastian. When Adam saw me coming, he charged at Sebastian, tackling him to the ground and giving Chase the chance to run over to me.

"You sure you can do this without your bionic brain?" I questioned, even as I handed my weapon over to him. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a total idiot without my chip, Kaz." He rolled his eyes, producing a small screwdriver from one of the pockets in his mission suit – I guess he kept it there for missions. "True, I'm not as smart as I was and Calla could probably outsmart me without it, but I still know what I'm doing."

" _Hurry please!"_ Bree called. I looked over my shoulder to see her duck as one of Titanium's metal balls flew past Alivia and nearly punctured the former speedster's chest.

"Got it!" Chase announced a second later. He handed me the now improved weapon. "You're still going to need something to expose the electrical panel.

"I've got that!" Dani called. I looked over to where she and Oliver were. While Oliver distracted Mort by sending a series of rapid-fire blasts at the lizard-like villain, my girlfriend twisted around as best as she could with her foot still glued to the ground, pulled a green-tipped arrow out of her quiver, and took aim at the electrical panel. She released the arrow and it flew through the air before burying itself in the concrete just above the metal electrical box. To my surprise, a thin liquid began to spill out of the arrow's tip, dripping onto the electrical box door. The door began to melt before my eyes, revealing the wires underneath. "Oh, and Calla, those acid arrows? Best idea ever."

"I know." The girl genius replied cockily.

"Kaz, just shoot already!" Skylar shouted. I didn't waste anymore time. I raised the plasma gun and aimed it at the electrical box. After making sure I'd aimed it correctly, I pulled the trigger.

The plasma ball, much larger than before, soared through the air just as Gao tackled me to the ground. But he was too late – we watched as the plasma ball hit its mark. The affect was instantaneous, the electrical box creating a massive explosion. There was just one little problem: it was bigger than we'd anticipated.

 **Oliver's POV**

I pushed myself off the ground, my head throbbing. We'd all expected the explosion to be big, sure, but not this big. My entire field of vision had gone white when it start, the roar of the explosion temporarily deafening me. Dani, Mort, and I had all been thrown to the ground, but in the midst of the smoke cloud the explosion had created, I couldn't possibly tell where they'd landed. I coughed roughly, stumbling to my feet.

" _Ollie?"_ I sighed in relief as my sister's voice echoed in my head. _"I can't see you. Are you okay?"_

" _A little disoriented, but alright."_ I reassured her. Suddenly, I tripped over something big and heavy. And unfortunately, familiar. "Shit, Jaden. You alright?"

The older boy didn't respond in words, but rather with a groan as he closed his eyes even tighter. He must have been too close to the explosion.

His backpack lay discarded a couple of feet away from him, wide open and empty. "The Arcturion…" I muttered, realizing that it must have fallen out. I started making my way through the smoke, trying to locate it. I made it a few feet before I rain into someone. But it wasn't one of my teammates; it was my mother.

And to make matters worse, she'd found the Arcturion before I could.

"Hello Oliver." She spared me a small smile before returning her awestruck gaze to the Arcturion space rock. She held it up in her hands, admiring the glowing purple orb inside the glass case.

"Mom." I said slowly, wishing that I had some better back up than a clearly dazed chef, even if that chef was Jaden. "Give me the Arcturion."

"And why would I do that?" She asked softly, still staring into the Arcturion.

"Because you want this to be over as much as we do." I replied, holding my left hand out in hopes that she would actually listen. My right hand gripped the paragun in my grasp, trembling slightly. "Because you're tired of fighting us. Because there's still a chance we can all have a happy ending."

"If I gave in, your team would lock me up and throw the key away, Oliver. You should know that." She scolded, sounding just like she did when Dani and I were little kids and used to ask what she deemed were 'dumb' questions. She sighed. "We could have been the most powerful family in the world."

I stared at her. "I never wanted the power." I told her, shaking my head. "I just wanted my family. That's all Dani and I ever wanted."

In the comm link, I could hear the others talking. _"Mort's down!"_ Adam declared victoriously.

" _We've got Sebastian."_ Calla announced.

" _I think I've got an idea to take out Titanium!"_ Skylar offered.

Mom just shook her head at me, completely oblivious to the small victories we were making over her minions. "You'll understand when you're older." She dismissed me.

"If that's the case, then I don't want to understand." I retorted. "If growing up means changing your definition of right and wrong, then I don't want to grow up."

"Protecting my family _is_ the right thing to do." Mom insisted. "You may not agree with my methods, but I'm doing the right thing, honey. You'll see."

"Every villain thinks that what they're doing is right. They're usually wrong." I snapped. In the background, I could hear Leo announce that between he, Alivia, and Adam were gaining ground against Dr. Gao. "What was your plan, Mom? You had to have known that we'd only be powerless for a couple of days."

"A couple of days was all I needed. That New League of Heroes your friend Geminus has been building? Without their powers, they would have been easy to take out. And then nothing would have stood in my way from taking total control of the planet." She sighed. She shrugged. "Your little ploy with the Arcturion was cute, trying to distract us. But with its power, it'll just make it easier to destroy them. All you've done is buy them a few more days."

I gulped, knowing she was right. The New League of Heroes was really only just starting out, with very few of the members having much experience or particularly powerful abilities. Even if they got their powers back before she came for them, they wouldn't last ten minutes against the power of the Arcturion.

"I can't let you do that." I raised my paragun, but before I could even think of pulling the trigger, my Mom raised her hand and blasted the weapon with a powerful cryoblast that not only knocked it out of my hands, but froze the weapon solid. "You have ice and electricity powers?" I questioned, exasperated. Actually, I should have guessed that she would have powers identical to either Dani or I's. What I hadn't expected was that she'd have both our powers, or that they'd be at the level they were. As they stood now, they were twice, if not thrice, as powerful as ours, even combined.

I looked up at my mother, suddenly very afraid. I knew she hadn't wanted to hurt me, but with this kind of power, I wasn't so sure about my friends' safety. I glanced back at Jaden, hoping that he'd have recovered, but the explosion had really knocked him out.

Suddenly, a silver arrow flew past me, and imbedded itself in the ground behind my Mom, missing her by a couple of inches. Dani stepped out of the smoke, her bow raised and a second arrow already in her hands. "Give it up, Mother." She called, stepping up next to me. "We've already taken down Gao, Mort, and Titanium. The others are going after Lexi and Sebastian as we speak. You've lost."

Mom rolled her eyes and raised her hand at the bow. Before I could warn Dani, the cryoblast burst from my mother's hand and hit the bow. It froze in Dani's hand instantly, but a second later, the bow (including the metal string) started to glow red. The ice melted off it and Dani smirked. "Oh, did I not mention that Calla tricked it out?" She teased, adjusting the arrow. "Now surrender, or I'll shoot."

Mom smirked confidently. "You wouldn't shoot me."

"Try me." My sister growled. But Mom was unfazed.

"Darling, you won't shoot me. At least not to kill." She replied.

"I've killed before." Dani sniffed defensively.

"You won't kill me." Mom insisted. "I'm the only one who understands you, who understands the darkness inside you."

"You don't get me at all." Dani retorted. Mom gave her a look.

"You can't tell me you hated all of it. You liked being powerful, you liked being in charge. You liked not having to follow orders you didn't agree with. Are you telling me that you don't miss that?" She questioned. Dani hesitated.

"Doesn't mean she's anything like you." I commented. Dani smiled gratefully, though she didn't take her eyes off of Mom.

"Nevertheless, this is your last chance. Put down your weapons and stop fighting. It's better for everyone involved." Mom insisted. Dani hesitated again.

"You expect us to let you get away with the Arcturion?" Behind us, Jaden was slowly climbing to his knees. "And then what? You're going to take over the world with it?"

"It's better than letting you heroes keep it." Mom replied. "All that power…it would be such a waste."

Dani hesitated, then, to my shock, she slowly lowered her bow. "You're right Mom; I'm not going to shoot you."

Mom smiled proudly as I stared at my sister. Then, Dani's sullen frown turned upwards, the corner tugging it into a smirk. "I don't have to shoot you to win." She added, before snapping her bow back into place. She pulled back on the string before Mom could stop her and let the arrow go flying.

Before anyone could do anything, the arrow crashed through the glass case and imbedded itself in the Arcturion sphere. For a very, very tense moment, nothing happened. Then, the Arcturion orb started to glow brighter, turning white, just like…shit.

"Get down!" I shouted. Jaden, Dani, and I all hit the dirt as the Arcturion exploded.

 **Dani's POV**

I watched silently as a couple of agents from UPSEI loaded my mother, still unconscious from the blast the Arcturion let out, into a truck. She was strapped tightly into a gurney by power-nullifying straps, both for her protection during transport, and for the protection of the agents. "Are you sure she'll be okay?" Ollie questioned again, looking at the tall, blonde haired 26-year-old who was in charge.

"Yes. UPSEI has some of the best medical officers in the world." Agent Miles DeCook replied, giving Ollie and I a reassuring smile. "They'll make sure she's taken care of medically before we lock her behind bars."

"And she won't get out?" I confirmed. Agent DeCook gave me a smile.

"Your mother is in good hands, Miss Short." He promised. Alivia, Calla, and Chase walked over.

"Thanks, Miles." Alivia smiled at him. He nodded at her.

"Geminus, Elite Force." He said in goodbye before heading over to the second truck. Calla and Chase frowned, watching him go.

"You know, I swear I know him from somewhere." Chase mentioned.

"I think he's dating my cousin." Calla cocked her head, as if to look at him from a different angle. I wasn't really paying attention to Agent DeCook though – my eyes were on the second truck. Through its window, I could see Gao, Sebastian, Mort, and Titanium, all glaring daggers at each other, as if to blame them.

"I can't believe Lexi got away." Ollie grumbled.

"Well, that's a battle for another day." Chase assured him. I gave him a thin smile, personally disagreeing with him.

"Well, I'm heading back to New York." Alivia announced. She smiled at us. "Despite the circumstances, it's been good to see you guys."

"You too." "Good to see ya." "Take care." "Give Lily, Liam, Barry, and Alan our love." We all replied. She walked away, already pulling her phone out to order a plane ticket.

"We're heading back to the penthouse. We'll catch up with you guys?" Calla smiled kindly at us, realizing that we would want to watch them leave. She and Chase walked away, and Ollie and I turned back to the scene before us.

"I can't believe we finally beat her." I murmured.

"I can't believe you tried to blow her up." Ollie commented. I stared at him. He didn't really think that, did he?

"I didn't know it would explode!" I exclaimed defensively. "I just thought it would break and then she'd have nothing."

"Dee, relax. I know." He reassured me. He shook his head.

"I can't believe it's over." He sighed.

"It's not." I sighed. Ollie looked at me. "Lexi got away."

"We'll get her." He assured me. I shook my head.

"It's not going to be that easy. Gao's chip made her just as fast as Bree, if not faster, and she's got a head start. She could be anywhere by now." I muttered. Ollie looked at me, frowning.

"That's not the only thing bugging you, is it?" He guessed. I sighed.

"I need to tell you something, Ollie." I sighed.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Alright, let's try this again." Bree clapped her hands together as we all gathered in the living room once more. Skylar reached out and grabbed the TV remote, muting the news as it played clip after clip of our heroic battle against Mr. Terror and her minions. None of us had realized that we were being filmed, but now we were on pretty much every screen in the city, if not the state.

"Okay, so we have an announcement." Jaden announced. Calla and I exchanged looks, remembering our little bet. Jaden took a deep breath. "Bree and I are getting married!"

While Skylar, Chase, Oliver, Dani, Adam, Leo, and AJ all clapped for them, Calla scowled, pulling a twenty out of her wallet and handing it to me. I smirked, taking the cash from her.

"And I'm pregnant." Bree added, a nervous smile on her face. My face fell as Calla let out a short, victorious laugh and ripped the cash out of my hands.

"Oh my God, guys, that's amazing." Skylar cooed, hugging Bree. Calla jumped up and hugged her brother, before Jaden fist-bumped with Oliver and Chase.

"There is one other thing." Bree sighed after a couple of seconds. "Yesterday was my last mission. I'm quitting the team."

"Because of the baby?" I guessed. She nodded and rubbed her stomach.

"Just until my little bug here comes out. Then, we'll see." She replied.

"We should celebrate." Calla suggested, beaming. The others looked at her, listening. "I mean, sure Lexi got away, but we stopped not one, but five powerful villains today. Plus, we need to celebrate your engagement and pregnancy," She added, gesturing at her brother and her sister-in-law, "and it _is_ AJ's last night in Centium City."

"So we celebrate." Adam smiled, agreeing with the idea.

"Let's grab dinner." Leo suggested. Most of us all agreed instantly, grabbing our coats, purses, and wallets. All except for Dani.

"You know, I'm not really feeling up to it." She admitted.

"Dani," AJ complained. "C'mon."

"Sorry." She apologized. "You guys go on ahead. Don't let me ruin your fun."

"You know what, I'm going to stay behind too." I added, looking at her worriedly.

"…Alright." Jaden and the others didn't argue. "We'll bring you guys back something."

"Thanks." I watched them file out before turning to Dani. "Want me to cook up some tofu burgers or something? I think we have some left."

"No thanks." She murmured, walking out onto the veranda. I followed her out into the night air and leaned against the wall of the veranda next to her. From here, we could see the entire city, the dark buildings lit up by lights all over, the atmosphere almost serene.

"I'm not going to like what you have to say, am I?" I guessed, looking at her seriously. She shook her head slowly, not looking at me.

"No, I don't think so." She admitted. I sighed, though I expected that answer, and turned to look back at the skyline. She ducked her head, looking at her hands, before looking back up. "I'm leaving, Kaz."

I looked at her, a little surprised. "…For how long?"

"I don't know." She admitted, biting the inside of her cheek. I blinked, confused.

"Why?" I demanded, turning to face her. She looked at me, finally.

"Lexi has to be stopped." She reasoned. I rolled my eyes.

"The team can stop her." I dismissed it. She shook her head.

"She's not stupid enough to stay in Centium. She's long gone, maybe even out of the country." She replied.

"Then let the League handle her. It's not your problem." I assured her. She nodded.

"Yeah, it is. This is my responsibility." She insisted. I shook my head. "It is, Kaz."

"How?" I challenged. "Why?"

"Carson Bosetti." Her reply confused me for a second. Then it hit me.

"The scientist your Mom kidnapped." I realized.

"The scientist my mother murdered. After I helped kidnap him." She reminded me. I sighed.

"You don't know that he's dead." I said softly. "He may have escaped."

I mean, it was extremely unlikely, but still. However, Dani seemed to anticipate my response, and pulled out a newspaper article. It was an obituary for the scientist. I sighed. "Where did you even get that?"

"AJ." She smiled bitterly. "Remember how we all thought that Bosetti's name was familiar? That's because he's the kid's uncle." I sighed, taking all that in. "I'm guessing, since AJ doesn't hate me yet, that no one told him what happened."

We hadn't made the connection ourselves, and really there'd been no need to get into the more gruesome details with the thirteen-year-old. I sighed, wishing things hadn't take this turn of events. "You didn't have any good options. If you'd tried to save him, they would have found out. And then Gao would have brainwashed you, and you'd be as good as dead."

"I should have done something." She insisted. "But Mom's right. I'm too much like her."

"No, you're not. She wouldn't have felt guilty about this. You do." I pointed out. "That shows you're better than her."

Dani shook her head. "I have darkness inside me. She wasn't wrong when she said that."

"News flash, but nobody's perfect. Even though Chase thinks he is." I added, hoping to get a tiny smile out of her. It didn't work.

"I can't make up for his death. But I can make sure that everyone who hurt him is behind bars. And that means going after Lexi." She insisted. She looked at me. "Kaz, I have to do this. Otherwise, it will eat me up."

I looked at her, realizing that she meant it. "Then I'll come with you." She was already shaking her head. "C'mon Dee, you and me."

"The team needs you." She reminded me. I rolled my eyes.

"They can manage." I assured her. She shook her head.

"Bree's quitting, and AJ's moving. They can't afford to lose both of us." She told me. "They need you."

"I need you." I replied. She gave me a sad smile.

"No, you don't." I gave her a look, but continued. "I love you, Kaz, but you don't need me. We're great together, but you are so amazing without me too."

"Dani…" She raised her hand to stop me, that sad smile still on her face.

"It's not a feel-sorry-for-me thing. It's the truth." She said kindly. "The truth is, you are an amazing superhero, with or without me. You'll be okay."

I looked away, hating how the truth rang in her words. "That's the first time you said you loved me." I mumbled, trying to think of something to say. She nodded.

"I know. I needed to say it, just once." She admitted. "And I mean it, I do, but…"

"But what?" I questioned. She hesitated, not meeting my gaze. "Dani, are you breaking up with me?"

"I don't…I…" She sighed, tears prickling the corner of her eyes. I went to wipe them away, but she pulled back. "Kaz, even if I catch Lexi, I don't know if or when I'm coming back."

"You don't?"

"Look…my mother said a lot of things that we true about me. And they're not things I'm proud of. Ignoring my mission of catching Lexi, I need to get my head straight, figure out what's next for me. Tracking down Lexi…well, that'll be good for me."

"I don't think Oliver will agree." I mentioned, hoping he could change her mind. She pressed her lips together in a thin line. "You already talked to him."

"He agrees that it might be a good idea." She admitted.

"Of course he does." I muttered, turning back to the cityscape. She put her hand on my arm, forcing me to turn back to her.

"The point is, I may not be back for a long time, if I come back at all. And you deserve better than someone you might not see again for a very long time." She told me. She gave me a smile. "You deserve to be happy."

"Well, you make me happy." I argued. She blushed a little, looking away.

"You'll find someone else. Someone better." She promised. I opened my mouth to argue with her, but she cut me off. "Kaz, stop." Her voice shook and wavered. "This is already really hard for me. Please."

I looked away. I could never say no to her, no matter how hard I tried. "Do you have to leave tonight?" I eventually asked. It was clear by now that she'd made up her mind and wouldn't be persuaded differently.

"I was going to go in the morning." She replied softly, a little confused by where I was going with this. I nodded.

"Good. Then you can break up with me in the morning." I decided. She let out a confused sound, her brow furrowed. "Look, you want to do this, fine. I'm not happy about it, but fine. But we are not broken up until you leave, got it?"

"Kaz…" She smiled sadly, looking at me with a mixture of amusement, love, and grief in her eyes.

"You said you wanted me to be happy." I reasoned. "Well, you want to know what would make me happy? One last night."

"Kaz…" She tried again.

"One last night." I insisted. After a moment, her resolve broke and she sighed.

"One last night." She agreed.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Will Dani return? Who knows! (Well, I know, but I ain't going to tell you). So aside from those of you who hate me for breaking up their favorite couple, what did you guys think of the chapter? Good, bad? In-between? You know I love reviews!**

 **Anyway, just a reminder that this story is going on HIATUS for the next couple of months while I deal with school work. But never fear, the first chapter of my one-shot series, The Year Between, will be up this Friday, December 1** **st** **. I will see you guys all then!**

 ***Just a heads up, I won't be answering the reviews on this chapter until I post the season 3 premier, so if you have any questions you can not possibly wait to hear the answer to, feel free to PM me!***


	37. Missing

**Kihonne: Okay guys, who is ready for a new season? I know I am, and I'm super pumped to get it started! But first, I still have shout outs left to do for the season 2 finale, so let's get onto that shall we?**

 **Xxx**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked it! You are right about Kaz – there is a new lady in his life. I go into that a little in this chapter, but you'll see him and his new girlfriend together in the next. Anyway, thanks for everything, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Shadow-wolf78: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you like this one too.**

 **LabGirl2001: Yeah, I think a lot of people are feeling that way for Kaz and Dani. Their relationship hasn't been the most steady of relationships, but then again, their lives have been so crazy that that's almost to be expected. And yeah, our heroes didn't get much of a break, did they? Oh well, that's what happens when you're a hero. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Astronema2345: I don't intend on doing any more stories for this series, aside from the already planned Legacies story, so I won't be doing that. However, there is a chapter of this season in which Oliver and another member of the Elite Force are abducted, so I hope you'll enjoy that.**

 **Algernon23: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the fight scene so much – I wanted to make it elaborate because I felt the Mr. Terror arc, for all of its importance in both Mighty Med and this past season of the Power of Seven, deserved such an explosive ending (pun totally intended). I don't think anyone was expecting me to destroy the Arcturion, to be honest. It was an interesting way to catch people off guard though, right? As for your theory, no members of the team, nor any of the villains, will be getting new powers because of the explosion. Though it's not a bad theory, I've got other plans. As you may know by now, Miles is dating Faith. Both of them will be recurring characters this season, which should be pretty interesting. As for Dani, she did what she felt she needed to do. She wasn't really in the best headspace after what happened – things were already tension-y with the team, and she just had to put her mom behind bars, and then she discovers that she didn't even manage to complete her job of putting them all behind bars, which was the reason she destroyed her relationship with the team itself…needless to say, her decision wasn't as well-thought out as she would claim. But don't worry, she's had a year to re-think things. I think you'll like what you see from her this season. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirdlover17: Thanks! Enjoy!**

 **GU3ST: I'm fairly ashamed to have not made that connection earlier. LOL.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you loved it so much! Yeah, it was a crazy idea – it's Kaz though, do we really expect anything but crazy from him? It was, however, the best crazy idea they could come up with, and you're certainly right that it was instrumental in their victory. No one saw the Arcturion thing coming though – it surprised everyone. No, no one on the team, nor any of the villains got more powers because of the blast. As for Faith and Miles, I've got a couple of interesting arcs for them. No spoilers, but…well, they're certainly going to be fun characters to write into the season. Dani leaving was probably best for everyone. Everyone was still upset, she wasn't in a great headspace, a little time to cool off gave everyone perspective. It's going to be a fun season, so I hope you enjoy it. As for our missing friends…well, you're going to have to wait and see. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: By the way, for anyone who skipped the story "The Year Between", I really suggest going back and reading it before reading this chapter. A lot of things will make more sense if you do. Now, without further ado, it's chapter time!**

 **Kaz: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or the Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

 _"So what about Thursday?"_ Skylar's voice echoed in my ear, coming in through the comms. I didn't answer right away, instead leaping off the edge of the bridge. I flew downwards, the wind rushing past my face as I reached out, desperately trying to catch the girl who'd fallen. I grabbed ahold of her wrist, wincing when she cried out at the sudden stop, then flew us back into the air.

"Guys, we need to get this thing under control!" I called as I gently dropped the girl onto the road near the bridge. Above us, the ropes of the support bridge were beginning to snap, one by one.

 _"We're working on it!"_ Chase snapped irritably. _"Setting this thing up isn't exactly easy, Kaz!"_

 _"Thursday works for me, Skylar!"_ Oliver told his girlfriend. I could see him hovering near one of the towers of the support bridge, a tiny flying figure. The silhouette of Chase's body could just be seen as well, standing on the top of the tower as he tried to rig up one of Calla's latest inventions.

"Guys, focus! This thing's going to come down any minute!" Bree shouted, speeding past me as she collected several more people off the bridge. As if to prove her point, the bridge shook violently, threatening to fall apart any second.

 _"It's set up. I don't get why it's not working!"_ Chase snapped.

 _"Give it a second."_ Calla reassured him. Even through the comms, I could hear her typing away at her laptop from the safety of the Penthouse. _"I sent the codes. It just needs to receive them."_

 _"Well, it's taking too-"_ Jaden stopped himself midsentence as Calla's device came to life and several razor-thin, but extremely strong, plasma ropes burst from the device at the top of the bridge tower. They flew downwards, tying themselves around the ends of the snapped wires, pulling back just enough to level the bridge. The entire bridge stopped shaking as balance was returned to the structure. _"Never mind."_

 _"Told you it'd work."_ Calla teased lightly, pride in her tone.

 _"Shut up, CeeCee."_ Jaden grumbled. I heard her laugh in the background.

 _"Just get back here."_ She instructed, amused.

 **Xxx**

"You know, maybe a mission isn't the best place to discuss when everyone's available for a group date?" Calla questioned as we walked back into the penthouse, giving us all exasperated looks. She was holding four-month-old Noah in her arms, the baby clutching a stuffed caterpillar in his chubby hands.

"Really? I thought it was the perfect time." I replied, walking past her into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes, handing Noah off to Bree.

"He missed you." She told her sister-in-law as Noah grabbed at his mother's hair. Bree chuckled, using her free hand to brush her hair behind her head as she balanced her son against her chest.

"No, bug." She shook her head at him, smiling affectionately. "Thanks for babysitting."

"Anytime. He's a good kid." Calla assured her.

"Ten bucks says your kid is the more difficult one." Oliver teased Chase, smirking.

"I'll take that bet!" I called to him. "No way their kid was anything but a goody-two-shoes."

Chase looked between us. "I feel like I should be offended, but I'm not sure by who."

A few of us laughed at that, just as Calla's phone rang. She frowned when she saw who it was. "It's the Academy. I've gotta take this."

She walked out of the room, answering the call. "Kieran and Taylor still AWOL?" Jaden guessed, walking past me to get started on lunch.

"Yeah. It's been two weeks now. Rio's freaking." Chase agreed. I nodded thoughtfully, understanding. Her brother and his girlfriend disappeared a couple of weeks ago after a mission, and normally, that would make them subject to numerous jokes about running off and eloping, except for the fact that Rio couldn't even contact her twin telepathically. There was very little in the world that could block a telepathic link, and none of them were good. "The problem is, everyone at the Academy is searching for them, which isn't good because we need them on missions worldwide, and the trail's gone cold as it is."

"Are you guys going to help them search?" Skylar asked, handing Jaden a tubaware of sliced ham from the fridge.

"Well, MISS is already actively searching for their GPS. If it pops up anywhere, then we'll know." Bree replied, sitting down on the couch. "If nothing's turned up in another week or so, we'll head down there, but I'm not really sure what else we can do."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Oliver reasoned. "I mean, there ARE a few spots on the planet that are like dead zones where powers don't work. For all we know, they're just taking a vacation and don't realize they're in one."

"You really believe that?" Skylar questioned.

"…No, not at all. I'm just trying to be optimistic." He admitted.

"Thanks man." Chase patted his shoulder before grabbing his and Calla's lunches. "I've got work to do."

"And I have a shift at Mighty Med." Oliver added, glancing at his watch. He kissed Skylar on the cheek. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. Bree and I were going to go shopping." She replied, glancing at her friend. Bree nodded.

"I need a new outfit." She shrugged, before smiling at Noah.

"And diapers." Jaden added. We glanced at him. "He is a poop machine."

"He's not wrong." Bree agreed, adjusting her hold on Noah as she carried him over to his strolled, set to the side by the door. "C'mon, bug, let's go to the mall."

"Bye." We waved at Skylar, Bree, Noah, and Oliver as they headed out the door. When they were gone, I looked at Jaden.

"I've got that new Overwatch game if you want to play." I offered.

"Sweet!" He grinned, hopping the couch. I laughed and plopped down beside him.

 **Xxx**

At first, I wasn't sure what had woken me. One minute, I was dreaming some odd dream involving football and dragons – I couldn't remember it exactly, but I knew it had been awesome – and the next, I was sitting up in bed, my hair standing on end. For a brief moment, I wondered if my dream had turned nightmarish and I just couldn't remember it, but then Oliver's voice whispered in the darkness of our room, "you heard that too, right?"

"Uh…maybe?" I replied, rolling over in the bed to switch on my bedside lap. "I don't know, but _something_ woke me up."

"It sounded like someone was downstairs." Oliver mentioned, sliding out of bed.

"Maybe it was Chase?" I suggested. It wouldn't be the first time this week he'd been sent out in the middle of the night to get Calla some midnight snack. Ever since her cravings started to hit, he'd usually be going out at least once a week, if not twice.

"May-" Oliver cut off as a loud clatter came from the floor below, along with a muffled curse. We couldn't quite make out the voice itself, but I had a feeling it wasn't one of us. "I don't think that was Chase."

"Neither do I." I climbed out of bed and followed him out the door. I glanced at the other bedroom doors, half-expecting them to open up. But Calla and Chase's bedroom was the farthest from the stairs, and even from here, I could hear Skylar's loud snores through her door, so it was entirely likely that none of them had heard anything. "Let's check it out." I whispered to Oliver. There was no need to wake the others in case it was nothing.

Oliver and I quietly moved along the hallway, keeping our footsteps light as we stepped down the stairs. We stopped a couple of steps away from the floor. It was the perfect vantage point; we couldn't be seen because of the way the wall turned, but we could get a pretty good view of the living room. From here, we could see three shadows on the moonlight bathed floor, though only one of the people were in view. Her back was turned to us, but we could tell that she was wearing all black, head to toe.

She must be a robber! Were they really stealing from us?

I glanced at Oliver, then nodded my head towards the girl, motioning that I'd take her out if he took out her two partners. Judging by their shadows, they were near the entrance to the veranda, and Oliver's powers were always better at incapacitating from a distance. My best friend nodded and raised three fingers. He slowly counted down, dropping a finger each second, and the moment his fist closed completely, we attacked.

We both lunged out at the same time, Oliver raising his hand to cryoblast the intruders while I leaped to tackle the nearest girl. But in a split second, before either of us could get an attack off, something dark and heavy slammed into both of us, sending us crashing into the wall behind us. The weight that had hit us didn't let up, instead pinning us into the wall.

"Rani!" An Irish accent scolded in the darkness, just as heavy footsteps came from the second-floor hallway. A second later, Calla, Chase, and Skylar came running down the stairs, ready for a fight, and the lights turned on.

Wincing at the sudden brightness burning my retinas, I turned my face downwards, choosing to focus instead on the three 'intruders'. Alivia McLean was standing near the fireplace, pinching the bridge of her nose, already looking like she was regretting whatever crazy idea had brought them here, while Rani Shore stood near the stairs, exactly where she'd been when I tried to tackle her.

"Rani, put them down." There, standing by the light switch, stood Oliver's own sister, Dani Short.

God, how long had it been since we'd last seen her? More than a year, I thought, not since the morning after we'd put her Mom in prison. She'd changed her hair again, I noticed – it was short again, back in her old angled-bob style, but blonde with red highlights – and she looked…I don't know, different and the same at the same time? I wasn't sure what to call it, really. But it wasn't a bad thing, I knew that.

"Fine." Rani sighed dramatically in response to Dani's order. Suddenly, the dark weight – a physical shadow she must have projected – disappeared and Oliver and I dropped to the ground. "But it's their fault for attacking us. What the hell guys?"

"What the…" Oliver trailed off, staring at her. "You broke into our apartment! At two in the morning!"

"Semantics." Rani shrugged, unbothered by the accusation.

"Oh my god, this is not how you ask for help." Alivia sighed deeply, already done with Rani's troublemaking. We all exchanged looks.

"Help?" Chase repeated. The girls looked at each other.

"We've got problems." Dani announced after a moment.

 **Dani's POV**

"Thanks," Alivia offered Calla a grateful smile as the genius handed out steaming mugs of coffee. I nodded at her, though Rani ignored her mug completely, instead choosing to pace behind the couch, impatient.

"Alright, I'm here." Bree walked into the penthouse. "Jaden's staying behind to watch Noah…Dani?"

"Hey." I greeted. Bree frowned, deeply confused.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking around at everyone.

"We were waiting for you." Chase replied before looking at Alivia. "Alright, what's the problem?"

"Some of our heroes have gone missing. We think they've been kidnapped, and that they were targeted." The red-head stated. She glanced at her hands. "They've taken Spotlight and the Scarlet Ace."

They all exchanged looks. "And before you ask, we're sure they were taken." Rani added, pausing in her pacing to cross her arms before continuing.

"How do you know they were taken?" Skylar asked. Alivia, Rani, and I all looked at her. "I'm not implying that they ran off or anything, but it wouldn't be the first time a hero's gone solo to take on a bad guy on their own."

I couldn't tell if that was an intentional dig at me or not, but nevertheless, it still hurt. "I think what Skylar's trying is ask is what proof do you have that they were taken?" Ollie asked. I gave him a small, grateful smile.

"The same people tried to take Tempest. He's one of our new recruits, only been a hero about a year now." I explained. "He was attacked by a group of masked goons out near Kansas while working a solo mission. They attempted to render him unconscious rather than take him out. He just barely made it out of there."

"This was only about a week or so after Lily disappeared. Liam went AWOL about two weeks before that." Alivia added. Calla frowned deeply, then stood up.

"Excuse me." She told us, her phone already in her hand as she stepped out on the veranda. Through her black tank top, I could see her stomach protruding. Not all that much, but enough to notice that something had changed. My guess, based off the stomach and the fact that literally everyone was drinking coffee but her, was that she was a few months pregnant. Had the circumstances not been what they were, I would have been happy for her.

"What's that about?" Rani questioned suspiciously. Chase craned his neck to get a better look at his wife, who, despite it being nearly three in the morning, was speaking with someone on the phone.

"I think I know, but I'll let her explain it." He replied. He looked at back at us. "Is this the first time something like this has happened? Don't you have ways to track where your guys are in case of an emergency?"

"Of course we do." Alivia snapped, taking his comments as a judgement. "But the GPS trackers in their suits went offline when they disappeared."

"And for some reason, my magic can't find them." Rani added. Chase frowned.

"Your magic?" He questioned.

"It's a long story." Kaz told him, a bit of a smirk on his lips. I smiled too, remembering how Chase reacted to finding out that aliens were real. Explaining that magic was as well would be an interesting venture to say the least.

"Look, I'm one of the best trackers in the League, second only to Lily." Rani told him, finally done pacing and now leaned on the back of the couch, her fists tightening in the cushions. "If I can't find them, something is seriously wrong."

"We believe you." Ollie assured her. "What do you need from us?"

Before Alivia could answer, Calla walked back into the room, a concerned look on her face. "I think they took Kieran and Taylor too." She announced. I frowned, recognizing the names as some of their bionic friends. "They went missing around the same time. We just thought they were goofing around or got lost or something, but now…"

"They may have been taken along with Liam and Lily." I realized. She nodded.

"Okay, they're definitely targeting people with abilities." Skylar frowned. "But why?"

"We have no idea." I replied. "We just know that they're taking our people. And that we need to find them."

"Absolutely." Chase nodded in agreement. Calla crossed her arms.

"Why don't you give me all the information you do have?" She offered. "I can relay it to our AI, and from there she can try to triangulate where they may have been taken from, or even taken too, and see if the MO matches any known criminals."

"What databases do you have access to?" Alivia questioned, standing up.

"Pretty much every one in the US. Chase, Bree, and I made a few high-positioned contacts back when the government got involved in the bionics program, and I had one of them set me up as a favor." She explained. Alivia nodded, impressed.

"Alright, sure. Sounds good." She paused, glancing at us. "You guys don't mind if we stay for a day or two, right?"

"Mi casa es tu casa." Bree replied. Everyone but Alivia, Rani, and I turned to look at her.

"You don't live here." Kaz stated, confused. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Su casa es tu casa." She corrected herself. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Uh, well, the guest room is not the baby room, but the couch in there is a pullout." Calla offered. "Aside from that, Davenport's room has a pretty nice king-size in there, and he hasn't stayed here in a few months, so it's all yours."

"And your bed is the way you left it." Skylar added, looking at me. I nodded at that.

"Thank you." I told them, sincerely. Calla started to lead Alivia towards the hidden elevator, clearly intending to get MISS working on the information, but paused before she opened it.

"Hey, one question." She turned around.

"Why'd we show up at 2 in the morning?" Rani guessed.

"Yeah." Kaz raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well, _somebody_ was in charge of figuring out what time zone difference was so we could come at a decent hour, but _somebody_ majorly screwed that up." She declared.

"That somebody was you, wasn't it?" Bree questioned, glancing at me. I nodded, smiling guiltily, and she sighed. "Nice to see you again, Dani."

 **Kaz's POV**

In the end, no one ended up getting any sleep, all of us a little too preoccupied with the fact that four of our friends had been kidnapped to get any shut eye. Instead, Calla, Chase, and Alivia had spent the night in the lab going over the details we had on each kidnapping – there weren't many – to see if there were any similarities or connections – there weren't any. Skylar and I had worked the phones for over an hour, getting a hold of every hero, bionic or super, that wasn't already aware to both warn them and to see if they'd heard anything that might help. Oliver and Rani had gone to Mighty Med 2.0. to let Horace know what was going on, while Bree had caught Dani up on everything she'd missed over the past year, up until an hour ago when she went back to her place for a change of clothes.

"We have coffee and a baby!" Jaden announced, walking into the penthouse alongside Bree. True to his word, he was carrying a couple of trays of drinks, while Bree carried Noah in in one of those baby carrier baskets.

"All of it is two milk, two sugar." Bree added, more for our guest's benefit than ours. "Decaf for Calla, and tea for Rani."

"You remembered, thank you." Rani nodded at them appreciatively, taking her drink. Jaden grabbed a tray and headed for the elevator, probably to bring some down to Alivia and the nerds. Noticing that Dani was over in the kitchen, I grabbed a couple of paper cups and walked over.

"Here." I handed her a coffee. She looked up at me and smiled, taking it. "So…"

"So…" She smirked a little.

"You're back." I mentioned. She nodded.

"For a couple of days, yeah." She agreed, glancing at her drink. I let out a slow breath, then looked up at me. "Hey, I…"

"You…what?" I asked. She bit her lip, then turned back to look at the fridge.

"What is this?" She asked, gesturing at the small whiteboard that had been hanging on the fridge for the past couple of months. It was split into two sections, with about half a dozen names on each. The names on the left were all written in blue, while the ones on the right were in red.

"Oh, Calla and Chase had everyone, including themselves, pick a couple of baby names for them to choose between. Then when the baby comes, they'll choose their favorite." I explained. "They put their own ideas up there, but last time I talked to Chase, they were leaning a little closer to Skylar's suggestions."

"No, I guessed that. I mean this." She pointed at one of the red names, sitting snugly between Calla and Bree's suggestions of Quinn and Grace. I chuckled when I saw it. "Who suggested 'Hot Dog' as a baby's name?" **(1)**

"What? Tofu Pop didn't have the same ring to it." I insisted. She laughed.

"I should have guessed. I mean, your suggestion if it ends up being a boy is 'Kaz Junior'." She teased.

"Actually, that was Oliver's. My idea was Bradley." I replied. She looked at me, smiling as she tried to figure out if I was joking or not. I opened my mouth to reassure her that I was, but before I could, my phone rang.

I glanced at the caller ID, then back at the rest of the team, before deciding that what we were dealing with was too important to get distracted. "Do you need to get that?" Dani inquired. I shook my head and sent the call to voicemail, promising myself I'd call her back later.

"Nah, it's fine." I replied. She looked at me, a peculiar expression on her face.

"Is that…Jessica?" She asked slowly. I looked at her, surprised. "Ollie told me." Traitor. "Hey, don't not take the call on my account. I don't mind, really."

"Nah, I can call her later. Besides, by the looks of them," I gestured to Chase and Alivia, who were bent over a holographic map and speaking to each other in quick, low voices, "we might be on the move soon."

"Okay." She nodded thoughtfully. "I just…I didn't want it to be because of me. Because of…us. Or whatever."

"No." I shook my head. "No. I-I was going to tell you, I just…"

Before I could finish, I was cut off. "Mister Chase would like if all members of the team would join him, Miss Calla, and Miss Alivia down in Mission Command." MISS interrupted us, suddenly. "This includes Miss Dani and Miss Rani."

"Maybe they should name their baby Miss, as a joke." I suggested. Dani rolled her eyes and headed towards the elevator.

 **Xxx**

"Okay, this is what we know." Calla declared as we all gathered around the holo-table in the middle of Mission Command. "Liam disappeared first, about four weeks ago, on his way back to the NLH base from Tampa Bay. Two weeks after that, Lily disappeared, near the Canadian border." She gestured at the holographic map, the area lighting up as she spoke. "Kieran and Taylor were taken from just outside of Fresno a week later, and Tempest was attacked at the state line between Kansas and Colorado a couple of days after that."

"Essentially, we know that they're operating out of the US, but they don't seem to have a specific hunting zone."

"Do we know anything about them at all?" Skylar questioned.

"Yeah, that's a no." Chase replied, only to receive a response of groans and annoyed grumbles. "However, we think we've managed to narrow down the exact locations where Liam and Lily were taken from."

"And that helps us how?" Rani questioned irritably.

"We might be able to find something that'll lead us to their kidnappers. Or at the very least, we might be able to find some forensics that'll give us information on the kidnappers that we can use." Calla explained.

"That sounds stupid." Rani replied. "I mean, it's been weeks; there's not going to be anything left to collect."

"Have you never seen a cop show? There'll be stuff." Dani insisted. Rani rolled her eyes. "When we get back home, I'm making you watch a cop show marathon."

"No." Rani retorted.

"Too late, we're doing it." Dani smirked triumphantly and turned back to Alivia, Chase, and Calla. "You were saying?"

"The plan is, we break into two teams, each take a location, then compare what we find." Alivia announced. "Oliver and Bree, you two, along with Dani and I, are going to check out Lily's last known coordinates. Rani, you're going to go with Jaden, Skylar, Kaz and Chase to check out Liam's."

"I'm going to be running Mission Command to make comparisons easier." Calla added.

"Look, hopefully, we'll be able to get enough from the scenes of the crime to find our guys, so don't screw this up, alright?" Chase added.

"Yes sir." I mock saluted him. He gave me a look. "I mean, let's do this!"

 **Dani's POV**

"Alright, this should be the spot." Ollie announced as we reached the coordinates – a tiny walk path behind a coffee shop.

"Yeah, this is definitely the place." I agreed, looking over the area. There had definitely been a fight here – there was a broken fence on one side of the path, a massive dent in the dumpster, and, most concerningly, some sort of weird burn in the ground. It had burned away a small patch where grass met the asphalt, and left a weird, faded, blue-ish stain on the path.

"What in the world could have done this?" Bree questioned, bending down next to the stain and gesturing at it.

"It looks almost like someone spilled battery acid." I commented.

"If it were battery acid, it'd be orange, not blue." Ollie frowned.

"That's why I said almost." I retorted. He raised his hands, backing off. I glanced up at Alivia, about to ask if she thought we should scan the stain here and send Calla a digital copy of its chemical components or just bring a sample of it home with us, when I saw the deep frown on her face. "Hey." I called, getting her attention. She shook herself out of her thoughts. "Lils is scary tough, and wherever she is, she's got Liam, Kieran, and Taylor. A hundred bucks says they're fine."

"Do you even have a hundred bucks?" She questioned skeptically.

"Nope. That's how sure I am that I'm right." I replied. She smiled a little, despite herself.

"Alright. Let's get Calla and Chase a sample of this." She gestured at the stain before touching her comm piece. "Calla, we found the place. We're bringing something back for you to test."

 _"Let me guess. A weird, blue substance?"_ Calla questioned. We all exchanged looks.

"Are you psychic? Is the baby making you psychic?" Bree questioned. I looked at her. "What? I saw it on TV."

 _"Uh…no. And that was telepathic, not psychic."_ Calla replied, bemused. _"Chase and the others found something similar where Liam was taken from."_

"Any idea what it is?" Alivia asked as we began to search the rest of the area for clues.

 _"Well, I have to do some scanning to be sure, but I'm pretty sure it's some sort of chemical weapon."_ She replied, though she didn't sound as certain as she claimed. _"I'll have more for you once I get a chance to look at it."_

"Hey, there's some here too." Ollie called, gesturing at the dumpster. Together, he and Bree pushed the dumpster away from the coffee shop's wall to reveal a similar stain on the wall of the building, though this one was darker, with hints of grey in it. "Weird."

"Calla might be right about it being a weapon." I commented. I closed three fingers on my right hand, making it look like a gun. I pointed my finger-gun at the wall. "Say there's two of them. There's a fight and she uses her powers to slide the dumpster into them."

"But she misses one of them and that guy takes a shot." Bree continued, stepping in front of the stain. I mimicked shooting her, before she twisted to the side. "The shot misses and hits the wall."

"Then she goes after the guy who shot at her, and tackles them to the ground, which is why the first one shoots towards the ground rather than at eye-level." Ollie added. Bree and I exchanged looks before she walked over to me. I dropped to the ground, carefully avoiding the stain, and she dropped to her knees. "This shot misses as well…then what?"

"Well, Lily would have used her powers on him," Alivia frowned. "She would have pushed forward, so he would have gone flying…there." She pointed upwards, towards a fire escape. From down here, I could see that part of it was busted, one of the ladder's rods hanging loosely on one side. "But then, what about the fence?"

"What if there was a third guy?" Ollie commented after a moment's thought. We all looked at him. "Say Lily gets up after taking that guy out, but doesn't realize there's a third…"

"And he throws her through the fence." I finished, looking over towards the broken fence. I opened my mouth to theorize what happened next, but before I could, the sound of sirens hit our ears.

"Okay, that's too many sirens for it to just a passing ambulance." Bree decided as they steadily got louder.

"Let's check it out." I suggested. Not waiting for a response, I took off after the source of the sirens. After a couple of blocks, the sounds started to grow louder.

"Oh, shit." Bree swore, slowing to a walk next to me as we realized what the problem was. One of the apartment buildings nearby had caught fire, and by now, the entire top two floors were engulfed in flames, and, judging by the amount of smoke pouring out some of the windows on the third floor, it was steadily on its way to joining them.

"There are still people up there!" I heard one woman cry, a concerned look on her face. The rest of us all looked at each other.

"Well, frosty?" I asked my brother, gesturing at the building. He gave me a look. "You cool things down for us, and we get the people. Easy peesy."

"Never say easy peesy again." Bree requested. "First, it never is. Second, it's stupid."

"Noted." I gave her a mock salute.

"But she is right." Alivia commented. Ollie sighed dramatically.

"I have fires." He grumbled. I smirked, my hands on his shoulders as I pushed him towards the building. God, I missed doing missions with my brother.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Well, it's about…time?" Calla trailed off as Dani, Oliver, Alivia, and Bree walked into Mission Command. Each and every one of them were covered head to feet in soot and ash, though none of them looked particularly unhappy. "What in the world happened to you?"

"Apartment building caught fire. We saved like twenty people." Bree replied, shrugging like it was no big deal, as she walked over to take Noah from Jaden. Dani sat down at one of the computer desks, smirking to herself.

"Why are you so happy?" Chase questioned. She shrugged.

"Because as much as I enjoy kicking bad guys' asses, and trust me, I enjoy that, it's also nice to do some actual saving every once in a while." She replied. I smiled, not disagreeing with her; it was always a better feeling than fighting people. Though that was pretty cool too.

"Oh, and here is your sample." Oliver handed Calla a vial of asphalt scrapings. She glowered at it, taking it.

"Thanks, but I already had MISS scan what they brought back." She jerked her thumb at me and the others.

"What type of chemical is it?" Alivia questioned. Calla crossed her arms, still glaring. She still wasn't happy with what she'd found.

"It's not. Check this out." She stood up and waved her hand towards the holo-table. It activated as she did, revealing an extremely magnified look at the substance that Jaden had collected off an alley wall. But instead of showing chemical particles or whatever it was that we'd been expecting to find, there were about forty miniature, orb-shaped robots.

"Wait, are those nanobots?" Bree questioned, recognizing the tech. She glanced at us. "Uh, Mr. Davenport used some a few years back."

"Yeah, he did." Chase nodded, stepping forward. "But these are smaller, faster, and their sole purpose is to destroy."

"The stain left behind is the immediate effect of the erosion they left behind. Most of these nanobots have been deactivated, so I think they've got some sort of shell-life. Had they been active longer, though, they would have eaten through it all by now." Calla finished.

"What would they have done to our friends?" Rani questioned. Chase glanced back at her.

"It's hard to say. I don't think they would have killed them, though they probably would have incapacitated them." He replied.

"There are easier ways to kidnap people. Even if those people are superheroes." Skylar commented, annoyed.

"Trust me, that's not the only concerning bit." Calla sighed irritably. She waited until she had all of our attentions. "Whoever coded these nanobots left their signature: 1908091820-0616."

"Oh no." Rani gasped dramatically. Calla gave her a look. "C'mon, like I'm only one who has no idea what that means."

"It's the same code we found on some high-tech weapons that hit the market a year. It's been popping up more and more in high-tech weapons over the past year." Bree explained.

"Any idea who the seller is?" Alivia asked. Jaden shook his head.

"I'm more concerned with who the engineer is. This stuff is top of the line." Calla insisted. "I mean, if they turn out not to be evil, I might offer them a job."

"They may have helped kidnap our friends." I pointed out.

"I _might_ offer them a job." She insisted.

"So, basically what you're saying is you have no idea who sold, bought, or made the weapon?" Dani questioned. Calla shook her head. "Do we know anything?"

"It's a half-decent lead, but yeah, it's all we've got." Jaden told her apologetically. She, Rani, and Alivia sighed. "We're worried too, guys."

"Look, it's not a lot, but we're going to do anything we can to find them." Chase promised. They all nodded and he looked back at us, confirming that the agreement we'd made before they arrived was still the plan. "It'd be easier to work on this together, in person, than in different parts of the country."

"You think we should stay?" Alivia questioned.

"It does make sense." Skylar offered. Alivia considered it. "I mean, if you have to get back to the League, we understand, but…"

"I left Barry in charge. He knows what he's doing…mostly." She frowned deeply. "And Davenport Industries does have the best technological resources if these weapons are involved."

"Plus, with us, you won't have to pull any resources from the League." I pointed out. She considered it, then glanced at Rani and Dani.

"You guys have any objections?" She questioned.

"Nope." "I suppose not." Rani replied, Dani shortly after her. Alivia nodded.

"Then, we'll take you up on your offer." She smiled at us. "Thank you. Seriously."

"Always." Oliver promised her, patting her shoulder.

"I just hope Barry can manage." Dani mumbled. Rani rolled her eyes.

"He'll be with Alan and Surge. What's the worst that can happen?" She questioned. Alivia stared at her for a moment, then pulled out her phone.

"I'm just gonna…check in." She said hesitantly, heading for the elevator. Rani laughed once she was gone.

"Fair warning, she's a mother hen." She told us. I chuckled at that, amused. Meanwhile, Calla was still staring at the hologram, annoyed. "You're really bothered by this engineer, aren't you?"

"Whoever they are, they're almost better than me." She muttered. I raised an eyebrow at that. "Almost."

"Sure." Oliver nodded seriously. She rolled her eyes.

"I just wish we knew who they were." She replied.

 **The Engineer's POV**

"Sir," I greeted, walking into the command center. My boss was sitting in his chair, silently staring into the surveillance feeds we had from sub-level B. Our 'guests' were visible on all four screens, three of them just sitting in their cells, talking to each other, while the rowdiest of them all – a pretty blonde guy with a large vocabulary of insults – paced in front of the power-nullifying bars impatiently. "Sir, the results of today's tests."

He took the file from me but didn't look at it. "We need more." He stated simply, impatiently. I nodded my agreement.

"I have an idea about that." I offered. He turned, waiting. "But I'm going to need your grandson's help."

 **Kihonne: So, what did you guys think of the first episode? I know, not very action-y (for everyone who is about to ask why I didn't include the scene in the fire, it's because I've already done a fire-rescue chapter this story and don't want to repeat scenes that are too similar), but it's definitely a pretty awesome set-up, right? Seriously, I want to know your opinions and your theories for the chapter and the season! It's been a while since I've heard from most of you, and I'm looking forward to your reviews! Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **February 12th – Reconnecting**

 **February 19th – Lost and Found**

 **February 26th – Abduction**

 **(1) – What kind of Bradley Steven Perry fan would I be if I didn't even make one Good Luck Charlie reference in this story?**


	38. Reconnecting

**Kihonne: Hey guys, I'm so sorry I'm late with the chapter. Time just flew by, and before I realized it, I was buried in school work and had to put the story on hold for a little bit while I dealt with that and some family stuff. But, good news is that I'm back, and I don't want to waste much more of your time, so I'll get straight on to shoutouts.**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much, especially everyone working together and Calla's pregnancy. And yes, the Good Luck Charlie reference – I loved that show. You're correct that the weapons from both Missing and Train Job were engineered by the same person. As for the identity of the Engineer, that's going to be an interest surprise. Is it AJ? Well, that is an interesting guess. I won't confirm or deny that one, but I will say that he does have an interesting role to play in the season. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you liked what I did with your idea. The organization was an interesting twist to bring to the season, though I do admit, I already had a similar idea a while back. As for the Engineer and the Boss…well, one of them you've met and the other you haven't. That's all I'll say about that for now. I'm glad you like that Dani's back – it's going to be interesting writing her and Kaz this season, that's for sure. Anyway, I'm play you liked it and I hope you enjoy the season!**

 **Algernon23: You may not like being confused, but I have to admit, it's pretty fun for me to sit back and watch all of you try to figure out who the big bad is this season. I'm enjoying it way too much. I wouldn't get too hung up on the grandson/grandparent thing just yet – trust me, there'll be bigger clues spread throughout the season. Though, in terms of his identity…well, it's going to be one hell of a twist, let's just say that. You are, however, on the right track as to your question of why the bad guys are doing what they're doing. Keep asking yourself that question throughout the season – why is the Engineer doing this, why does the Boss think that – and you might just figure it out. Though, I have to admit, I think it's going to take most people, if not everyone, off guard by the revelation. But if you do have any guessed, please send them. I won't confirm/deny most of them (unless they're completely wrong), but I'm interested in seeing where my reader's heads are at. Anyways, I'm glad you finals went well, thanks for the advice about the Death Cure, and I hope you enjoy the season.**

 **TheRealHarrisonW: I'm so glad you're excited about the new season! I'm glad you like the atmosphere I have with this season. The Flash didn't have much of an influence when I first came up with the idea for the villains, but it has gotten me in a really good mindset to write certain things out. Though the Engineer will be more like Eobard Thawne than DeVoe. That being said, DeVoe VS Chase would be the coolest thing ever. No idea who would win though.**

 **Guest: This season is set a little more than a year after the events of season 2. If you'd like to know what you missed in that year, please check out my other story "The Year Between". I'm expecting the season to be about 14 – 16 chapters, depending on whether I cut certain ones into two parts, and if I include the flashback chapter I'm considering.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks so much for the compliment! I'm glad you like that Liam, Lily, Rani, and Alivia will be in the season – they're going to be fun additions to the team. As for the others, they will be making one more appearance each – there's going to be an episode in which Alivia and a few others head back to New York to join them on a mission. It's going to be pretty exciting. Dani and Rani are going to particularly fun to write this season, especially Rani and her black magic. It's such a different concept compared to the vast majority of technology that I've introduced over the past couple of years, and Rani's attitude is going to be just as interesting to mix in with the rest of the team. As for Dani and Kaz, that's going to be equally interesting to write. I've got a couple of twists and turns for them – Kaz's relationship with Jessica is certainly going to affect the story in a few different ways – but overall, I think you're going to like how I play things with them. So, interesting guess about AJ's uncle. I assume you mean an uncle that I haven't introduced yet, or is your theory that I bring the uncle I did introduce back from dead to be the villain? Honestly, with me, neither would be totally our of character for me to do. As such, I won't confirm nor deny that the boss has any relation to AJ, though I will confirm that Miles is not the Engineer, as he would have recognized Spotlight and the Scarlet Ace due to his past dealings with the NLH. When you think you've figured it out, please let me know though – I may not confirm/deny it, but I am curious as to what everyone's thinking. I'm glad you enjoyed the Good Luck Charlie reference – I mean, it's Bradley Steven Perry, how couldn't I slip one in? – and I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.**

 **Amazingchichi741: I'm glad you're excited for the chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Guest 21418: I'm glad that I'm able to take your mind off things. What happened in Florida was nothing short of a tragedy and I'm relieved to hear that your friend was not injured or worse. I want you and your friend to know that he, his classmates, and his teachers are all in my prayers. If you ever need to talk, please PM me – I'm always available for anyone who needs me. I wish I could do more to help, but as this is the best I can do, I sincerely hope that this chapter can distract you from reality for a little while longer.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Skylar: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Elite Force, or Mighty Med. She only owns this story, this chapter, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

" _Alright, four guys inside, six hostages. One of which is a four-year-old, so take extra precaution guys."_ Calla warned, voice coming in through my comm. _"The quicker the better; we don't want to traumatize the poor child."_

"Thanks babe. Okay, here's the plan: Bree, you go in through the delivery entrance in the back – usually, it would be guarded, but I doubt the robbers have more than one guy watching that end. Distract them and try to draw as many as you can away from the hostages. Kaz, go with her. Skylar, Dani, you're with me. We go in through the front, take out the bank robbers, alright?" He glanced back at us, waiting for a response. Once we'd all shown him that we understood, he jerked his head to motion for Bree and Kaz to get moving.

I watched them go, feeling the familiar energy of adrenaline flooding through my system. It had been too long since I'd been on a mission with my old friends, and truth be told, I missed it. When they'd asked for volunteers to deal with the bank robbers – there weren't enough of them to warrant the entire team coming – I'd offered right away.

I just hoped it went well.

 **Jaden's POV**

"Well, that went terribly." Bree announced as she, Dani, Kaz, Skylar, and Chase walked into the penthouse. I raised an eyebrow, but she didn't elaborate, instead dropping to her knees right next to me. She put on a fake smile as she looked down at our son, Noah, who was content to lying on his back for the time being. "Hey Bug."

"What happened?" Oliver questioned just as the fireplace split in two. Calla walked out of the hidden elevator, alternating stern looks between Skylar and Dani.

"Are you two serious? What the hell?" She demanded, arms crossed.

"What happened?" I repeated Oliver's question.

"These two started both wanted to take out the last robber, but neither would give in." Chase explained, also annoyed. "And they spent so much time trying to take out the same guy that the other three got away."

"Damn." I whistled. Tough break. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, all the hostages got out okay." Calla assured me, taking a seat on the couch near me.

"Thanks to Kaz, Chase, and I." Bree added.

"Look, it was an accident. I thought she would go join you guys." Skylar explained, her tone apologetic. Dani nodded eagerly.

"It was just a communication mistake." She added. She glanced at Skylar. "It's probably my fault, since I've been gone for so long. We're sorry guys, really."

Chase observed them for a minute, then sighed. "I suppose the cops can track down the robbers. But next time, a mistake like that might end up worse than a couple of bad guys getting away. People could get hurt." He told them. They both nodded solemnly. "I guess we're just going to have to get used to working with you, Rani, and Alivia again."

"We'll figure it out." Skylar promised him. He nodded, then glanced at his clothes.

"Alright. I'm going to go shower." He decided, heading for the stairs. Kaz nodded.

"Yeah, I should change too – Jessica's going to be here any minute for our lunch date." He declared before following Chase. Dani watched him go, then looked around.

"Liv already leave for New York?" She asked, slightly disappointed. Alivia had been planning to make a quick trip back to the NLH base, intending to catch Barry up to speed in person as well as pick up some things for the girls.

"Yeah, left an hour ago. Don't worry; I reminded her to grab Katy." Rani assured her, not looking up from her book. She'd been at the desk by the window all morning, taking vague notes on the information in the book in a language I didn't recognize or understand. "God knows what that homicidal little monster will do to Alan's pets if you leave her there alone."

"I take it you're not a fan of cats?" I guessed.

"Cats, yes. Whatever that thing is, no." The umbrakinetic replied with a scowl. "She trained that thing to hate me, I swear."

For her part, Dani looked pretty pleased with herself for that fact. "What are you doing anyway?" Bree questioned, curious. Rani tilted her book upwards for us to see.

"Trying to find a spell that can get past whatever's hiding Liam and the others from us. There's no spell that will directly find them, but if I can find a loophole, maybe we can track them down." She explained.

"Sorry, you're looking for a what?" I questioned, turning around to look at her briefly until Noah's hand slapped my knee. I turned back to my son, giving him a friendly smile.

"I'm a master of the dark arts." Rani replied, pride in her voice. "Black magic is kind of my thing."

"Magic?" Calla laughed at that. Rani looked at her, offended. "Oh c'mon, you can't be serious."

"And why can't I?" She demanded, annoyed.

"Magic isn't actually real. You do know that?" My sister asked.

"You know, I'm going to go flying." Dani said softly, slowly backing out of the room and onto the veranda.

"Excuse me, but I think I know whether magic is real or not. I use it every day." Rani snapped. She furrowed her brow. "You work with superheroes…you have superpowers. How can you not believe in these things?"

"Superpowers have basis in science. Dani's cells got supercharged when she made indirect contact with the Arcturion, while Oliver's were distilled cryogenically like liquid nitrogen. That is a scientific explanation for superpowers. Magic, on the other hand, isn't real magic." Calla explained slowly, amused by Rani's insistence on her gifts. Rani quirked an eyebrow at that.

" _Tablet te detrahet me."_ She declared, and the tablet in Calla's hands floated into the air and flew towards Rani. She caught it with ease, a smirk on her face.

"What do you call that?" She challenged, placing the tablet down on the desk next to her.

"Unexplained science." Rani rolled her eyes at Calla's response. "I mean, that's all magic ever was – science that we don't know enough about."

"I think magic is a little better than your science." Rani sneered. Skylar raised an eyebrow at that.

"I'm going to go for a jog." She announced, heading for the door. A part of me wondered if maybe Skylar and Dani had the right idea to get out of here while they still could. Calla could be extremely stubborn on a regular day, and even though I didn't know her very well, I had the feeling that Rani could be equally bullheaded about the things she believed in.

"Please. Anything you can do with your 'magic'" Rani fumed at Calla's air quotes, "I can do with my tech."

"Is that so?" Rani mused, standing up and closing her book. Yep, the girls were smart to get out of here. "Well, why don't we test that, shall we?"

Calla shifted her jaw, interested. "What do you propose?"

"A challenge. I name three spells, and you have to recreate their effects _perfectly_." She emphasized the last word. "But when you can't, because you really can't, you have to admit that my magic isn't just real, but is also better than your stupid science."

"Alright, but when I win, you have to admit that magic is just weaker science." Calla retorted.

"You're on." The witch smirked triumphant to herself. My sister glanced at us.

"But I get Oliver, Jaden, and Bree's help on this." She added. Rani considered it, then nodded in agreement.

"Actually, I'm kinda with Rani on this." Bree commented, giving Calla an apologetic. Calla rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Help Rani choose the spells." She sighed irritably. I looked at her, frowning.

"Why do we have to help you?" I demanded. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"You really want to argue with me about this?" She questioned, her tone steely cold.

"No." Oliver answered for us. Calla smirked and clapped her hands together.

"Great. You two pick out your spells, and you guys meet me down in mission command in ten minutes." She instructed, pushing herself off the couch and heading for the hidden elevator. Oliver and I exchanged glances. This was going to be nothing if not interesting.

 **Dani's POV**

So, if I knew Calla and Rani, entering the Penthouse any time within the next eight hours would just end with me getting dragged into one side of a completely pointless argument – both of them were ridiculously stubborn and hated to be wrong at all costs. Which meant that I had a good eight hours to track down the robbers that escaped.

This morning had been my fault, really. Well, and Skylar's. We'd never been the best of friends, at least not like Kaz and Ollie were, but we used to be close, we used to be a well-oiled machine. Now…well, I guess my leaving had strained both our working and personal relationship mores than I originally thought. I wasn't sure there was anything I could do to change that, but I could find those robbers and make sure they ended up behind bars.

"Alright, if I were an evil bank robber, where would I go?" I muttered to myself as I walked through the bank. It was still closed by the police, as it was a crime scene, but I was hoping that the criminals had left something behind that would give me some clue to their identity or, at the very least, their next target. I looked around, trying to pick out anything they would have left behind; perhaps Rani could use of her tracking spells on it.

"Oh." I looked up to see Skylar stride into the bank, eyes widening when she noticed me. "I didn't realize…I guess we had the same idea."

"I guess." I pressed my lips into a thin line. I glanced around. "Well, there's not exactly much left here. Wanna split up? I can finish up here, bring whatever I find back to Rani to track, while you hit the streets?"

"Or I could take a blood sample back to Calla so we can identify the criminals." Skylar gestured at a small blood stain left on the banker's counter from when Chase had thrown the robber he was fighting into it.

"Yeah, maybe." I hadn't thought of that. Skylar sighed.

"You know, this probably won't need the both of us on it. I can take care of it." She offered, hands on her hips as she frowned thoughtfully. "Why don't you head back to the Penthouse, see if you can help Rani with her spells?"

"Nah, it's okay." I flashed her a smile. "I'd rather stay out of the whole science versus magic thing. I don't see it ending well."

"Are you sure?" She pressed. I paused, then stood up.

"Do you not want me here?" I questioned, offended. She shook her head.

"I didn't say that." She insisted. But her tone, her body language gave her away pretty quickly. She was clearly not pleased to see that I'd opted to go after the bad guys as well, but I couldn't tell if this was a wanting-alone-time problem or a me problem.

"Look, if this is about this morning," I began, only for her to shake her head. "I know it didn't go well, but it's just going to take us a little time to get used to working together again."

"It wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't left in the first place." Skylar grumbled. I raised my chin, realizing what this was about.

"You're upset that I left." I observed. She didn't answer, instead turning on her heel and walking out. I quickly swiped up a blood sample, then raced after her. "Skylar!" I called to her, catching up to her as she turned down a small, mostly deserted street. She didn't stop, so I jogged to keep up with her. "Look, I get you're upset, but I'm not going to apologize."

"Why would I expect you to?" She retorted, annoyed to find that I was following her.

"It was the right thing to do." I insisted, starting to lose my own patience. "I needed to at least try and stop Lexi, and besides, it wasn't like you wanted me around." At that, she gave me a stern look. "You didn't trust me, Skylar. After what I did, I didn't blame you for that, but I also wasn't going to stick around somewhere I wasn't trusted."

"How were we supposed to learn to trust you again if, five minutes as we stopped Bridget, you left?" Skylar laughed accusingly, her tone dark. "Again?"

I stopped. "I…I had some stuff to work through. I needed some time, some space."

"You needed a full year?" Skylar questioned, her tone softening a little as she turned to face me. She didn't look so angry now, more disappointed. "Look, I'm glad you found a place with the New League of Heroes, it really sounds like you found a good home there. And I admit, I thought a break would be good for you, but you left for a full year, and you didn't even say goodbye to half of us. Most of us didn't realize you were gone until Oliver told us the next day at lunch."

"Skylar-" I began, but she raised a hand, cutting me off.

"I'm not expecting you to apologize for not being at home here anymore. People change, they start needing different things. But what you did, the way you did it, that was unfair to everyone. Especially Oliver and Kaz."

I looked away, pushing down any feelings of guilt that were starting to rise in my stomach. "Ollie thought it was a good idea."

"No," She scoffed at that, amused, "he didn't. But you told him it was what you needed and you know as well as I do that he'll always support you. He may call you an idiot while he does, but if you tell him you're having a hard time and need something, he'll support you even if it hurts him." She shook her head. "You didn't even call him for almost eight months, Dani. That wasn't fair to him, or any of us."

I swallowed past a lump in my throat. "I know."

Skylar sighed. "Look, I just…it's hard to work with someone you don't trust who could leave again at any possible moment." She told me. I frowned at her. "Face it; the moment Liam and Lily are safe, you, them, Liv, and Rani are heading back to New York, are you not?"

"I suppose…" I agreed reluctantly. I'd been so focused on saving my friends that I hadn't thought about what would happen once we found them. And here I was, trying to rekindle my old friendships with people I was just going to leave again. I sighed. "Skylar, we have to work together, like it or not. We'll never be able to get anything accomplished if we don't." She scowled, though she didn't argue my point. "I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm just…I'm asking you to give me the chance to earn your trust again."

She frowned, considering it. "Fine. Did you get a sample?"

"Of course." I handed her the vial. She pulled out a small, handheld device that sorta looked like a graphing calculator. She pressed the vial into a section on the side of the device, and I watched the glass light up blue. Skylar then reached up to activate her comm. "Hey, MISS, do you think you can get Calla to run this through our database? We're hoping to get an ID." She paused listening, then sighed. "Good enough, thanks."

"Let me guess, MISS is going to do it herself because Calla and Rani are too busy trying to prove who is better?" I guessed. She sighed.

"I swear, sometimes…" She shook her head.

 **Jaden's POV**

"For the record, I think this is very stupid." I commented as Rani, Bree, and Oliver walked into mission command. Dani, Chase, Kaz, and Skylar, were all right to get out of here while they could; knowing these two, even if one of them proved their point, the other would just keep going until they themselves won.

"Yeah, yeah. Suck it up, Jay. I'm paying in babysitting hours, am I not?" She retorted, crossing her arms at Rani. "You ready for this?"

Rani cocked her head to the side, smirking to herself. "Are you?" She challenged.

"Play nice, guys." Bree cautioned, adjusting her grip on Noah. He stared up at her, completely mesmerized by her face as she addressed the two overly-competitive girls. "It's a friendly competition, alright?"

"Sure, sure." Calla dismissed her. Bree and I exchanged looks, knowing that Calla wasn't going to let this go until her precious science proved supreme. "Let's do this then."

" _Oliver faciet avolare_." Rani declared, not even moving. Suddenly, Oliver floated into the air, his look of surprise revealing that his sudden flight was not his idea. She smirked and gestured at me. "Make your brother fly, genius girl."

"Easy." Calla had laughed at that once Bree told her it was on the list of spells that Rani was intending on using. She pressed a button on her phone and the anti-gravity belt she'd forced me to wear activated, pulling me, against my will, into the air. "You wanna try again?"

Rani frowned, annoyed, then grabbed a stress ball off one of the computer desks. _"Hoc pila quasi exspiravit."_ She declared, one hand hovering over the ball before she threw it directly at Calla. It flew through her harmlessly, as intangible as a ghost. It flew through the wall behind her, presumably to continue its path through the hidden tunnels. "Let's see you mimic that."

"Rio can do that with her chip. As for me," She zipped up her mission jacket, frowning in displeasure when it proved to be a little too-tight over her stomach. Nevertheless, she pulled the hood up and pressed a button on her tech watch. "I added that upgrade," She walked backwards through the same wall the ball had gone through before reappearing a minute later, smirking, "last month."

"Enough!" Rani fumed, ticked off at Calla's smug appearance. She raised her hand towards my sister, brow furrowed. _"Rigescunt indutae!"_ She cried, and a blue, almost white, blast of energy burst from her hand.

Calla reacted instantly, pressing another button on her tech watch to project a plasma force field, almost identical to Chase's, though this one was tinged green. The blast hit the force field, leaving an icy blast mark that quickly melted away.

Calla didn't even hesitate, her plasma gun already loaded and aimed at Rani. She pulled the trigger quickly, before any of us could intervene. Rani didn't seem to care, however, as she raised her hand. Her shadow seemed to peel its way off the ground and rose to full height, acting like a bodyguard for Rani as the shot was absorbed in the thick darkness.

"Okay, when you said you were adding attack spells to the list, I thought you'd be doing target practice on one of the rock walls, not on each other." Bree scolded, stepping in between them after handing Noah off to me.

"Field tests are so much better than target practice." The former villainess reasoned, as if she hadn't just attacked my sister.

"I mean…she's not wrong." Calla commented offhandedly. Bree sent her a look. "What? It does show a better demonstration of the attack. A lot of experiments do try to replicate real-life situations for that reason."

"Teammates do not attack each other. For magical or scientific experiments." She sounded exasperated at the fact that she even had to explain that to two grown adults. Rani let out a long breath, clearly still peeved.

"Looks like it's a draw then." She decided unhappily.

"Looks like." Calla agreed, equally displeased. Rani nodded once, almost to herself, then walked away. Noah suddenly started crying, so Bree went to set him down for a nap, and Calla headed for the elevator. Leaving Oliver and I still floating in the air.

"Get us down from here!" Oliver shouted, kicking his feet at the ground, trying to force himself to land.

"Uh, guys?" I called, but they were already gone. "Somebody?"

 **Dani's POV**

"Alright, according to MISS, this is the most likely place for the robbers to go back to." Skylar frowned, double-checking the coordinates as I watched the side of the apartment building for any sign of which apartment our criminals would be in. "At least, the guy whose blood you took – someone named Charles Canberra – frequents this place a lot, according to his bus pass."

"He rents apartment C17." Chase supplied, walking over to us. He nodded at us appreciatively. "Thanks for the heads up about their location."

"Yeah, well, I thought it would be better with even odds." Skylar commented, shrugging. Chase glanced between the two of us.

"…Are we good?" He questioned, sensing the lingering tension between us. I glanced at Skylar, and we both nodded.

"Let's go." I insisted, already heading for building's entrance.

 **Xxx**

Skylar and I stood against the wall on either side of the door labelled C17, while Chase prepared himself in front of it. He looked at the two of us to make sure we were ready, then nodded at me. I placed my hand on the wall, sending an electrical surge through the wiring, strong enough to blow even the fuses in the hall. The lights flickered then cut out, leaving us alone in the dark. Chase waited a moment, listening for the robbers inside the room, before hitting the door with his forcefield, shrunken into the size and shape of a very deadly basketball. The force field knocked the door completely off its hinges, and we charged into the room, the only sources of light coming from either the two windows near the back of the apartment or my own flashlight hands.

We took the robbers completely off guard, and overpowering them was easy enough – already, Chase had one on the ground, trying to wrestle a pair of hand cuffs onto the man – and Skylar, despite her difficulty in the darkness – humans couldn't see particularly great in the dark, but Calderan night-vision was even worse – was combatting another, keeping him close enough to the window that she could see him.

My guy, on the other hand, was a useless fighter, completely incompetent with his fists…which is probably why he immediately scrambled for a gun. I lunged at him as he tried to get a good grip on it, slamming my elbow into his arm at the last minute to knock the weapon from his hands. He twisted under me, trying to flip me off of him. It somewhat worked – he was larger than me, and used his weight to his advantage, much to my annoyance – as I was thrown backwards a bit, just enough time for him to grab the gun, aim it at me, and pull the trigger.

I dropped to my knees at the last second, narrowly avoiding having my brains blown out, but the gunshot was enough to catch the others off guard. It worked out for Chase, who finally managed to cuff his bad guy thanks to the distraction, but Skylar's opponent recovered from the surprise much faster than she did and slammed her into the nearest wall.

I aimed a blast of electricity at the robber, just enough to knock him out, and leapt to my feet in search of the handcuffs I'd dropped in our fight. I spotted them nearby and swiped them up, bending down to cuff the guy when another voice spoke.

"Step away from Charlie, girl." I looked up to see the largest of the three thugs glaring at him, his arm tight around Skylar's neck. She struggled in his grip, able to breathe, but clearly trapped. He visibly tightened his grip and Skylar winced painfully, fingers gripping his arm but failing to remove it. "Now."

I sucked in a breath, trying to figure a way out of this. Chase was of no help – his criminal was still fighting back, despite the handcuffs – and the best plan I could come up with was blasting the guy, but with Skylar so close to him, it would be risky. Too risky.

"Dani." Skylar called, her voice eerily calm. I looked at her and gave me a small nod, even as the criminal pulled her back a step. I took another breath, this one calmer, deeper, and clenched my fist. Then, Skylar nodded again.

Two things happened at the exact same time: one, Skylar went limp in the criminal's arms, her sudden deadweight making him drop his guard for half a second, and two, I sent a blast of lightning his way. It hit him in the shoulder while he was still trying to adjust to Skylar's actions, and knocked him backwards, his grip on her loosening enough for her to escape. She spun around instantly, landing a painful-looking kick to his stomach. He fell to the ground, his head catching the edge of a table on his way down.

"Well, I'd say he's down for the count." I commented dryly. Skylar gave me a look, almost as if to say 'well duh', and I couldn't help but smirk.

"You guys alright?" Chase questioned as he dragged his criminal, still trying desperately trying to get away, over to us. He shoved the guy onto his butt, sighing in annoyance when he tried to get back up. "Dude, give it a rest. It's over."

"Here." I offered as I handcuffed the guy I'd knocked out. I grabbed a secondary pair of handcuffs, handcuffing their hands together so that they wouldn't be able to get away so easily.

"We're fine." Skylar assured him. She gave me a nod. "Nice shot."

I smiled but didn't say anything as she cuffed her guy. "I'm going to call the police to come pick these guys up." Chase told us, stepping into the hall, his cell phone already in his hands. I stood up, wincing as my bruises from the fight made themselves known.

"That's going to ache in the morning." I commented, stretching. Skylar nodded her agreement, then sighed.

"About earlier…" She began. I shook my head, stopping her.

"It's fine." I told her. She shook her head.

"I know you weren't trying to hurt us, and if I implied that you were, I'm sorry." She told me, sincere. "I just…I don't mean to sound so mean about it, it's just…"

"You needed to call me out on it. I get it." I nodded. "You're just looking out for Ollie and the rest of the team, and I appreciate that."

She sighed. "He's going to hate it when you leave again." She commented. I nodded.

"…I can't promise that I won't leave. I probably will, but it won't be like last time. I'll stay in touch, I won't disappear again." I promised. She nodded, accepting the assurance.

"Talk once a week?" She guessed. I smirked.

"I mean, I could call, like, every night, but I can't guarantee that I won't be totally annoying about it." I told her. She almost laughed at that.

"You, annoying? I never would have thought." She teased lightly.

 **Xxx**

"I wonder who won Calla and Rani's little contest?" Skylar questioned as we headed towards the penthouse. The criminals had been picked up by the CCPD, and we were already almost home.

"Ten bucks on Rani, but only because she'd do anything to win." I commented. Chase chuckled at that.

"You clearly don't know my wife if you think she's capable of giving up." He replied as we reached the same street as Davenport Tower. "Oh…"

I paused mid-step when I saw that Kaz and a tall, blonde woman standing near the entrance. I recognized Jessica instantly, having met her at Calla and Chase's wedding a couple of years ago. "Oh, hey guys." Kaz greeted us when he noticed us.

"Hey, how was dinner?" I forced a bright smile onto my face as we approached them. I'd promised myself, once I found out that Kaz was seeing someone, that I was going to be nothing but supportive of it, even if it killed me.

"Good. Uh, Jess, you remember Dani?" He replied. Jessica sent him a hesitant glass before reaching out to shake my hand.

"Uh, yeah. I thought you moved away." She commented, surprised to see me. I nodded.

"I did, but I'm back in town for some Elite Force business." I mentioned, increasing the smile as my heart clenched. I glanced at Skylar and Chase, hoping either of them would give me an excuse to get out of here.

"Uh, we should go and brief the rest of the team." Skylar commented, flashing me a smile. She nodded at Kaz. "We caught the rest of the robbers."

"Oh, awesome." Kaz grinned. "Nice job, guys."

"We'll see you in a bit, man." Chase clapped him on the back before grabbing the door to the building and holding it open for Skylar and I. We walked in, her a little in front of me. I shoved my hands in my pockets, refraining from looking back at them. Jessica was fairly pretty, and really nice, if I recalled. Kaz looked pretty happy with her too. I wanted to be happy for him, I did, but…well, this was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

 **Rani's POV**

"Hey." I looked up from my book to see Calla standing over me, a mug of hot chocolate and one with the string of a tea bag still hanging out of it in her hands. "Peace offering?"

I sighed and closed my spell book. "Thanks." I accepted the drink appreciatively. She pulled up a chair and sat across from me, and I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I get caught up in the heat of things sometimes – that's how we'd handle stuff back when it was my brother, Chaz, and I, and I sometimes have trouble remembering that that's not how I'm supposed to handle things."

"I could have been a little less smug about things." She shrugged. "So, I was thinking-"

Before she could continue, the front door opened and Dani, Skylar, and Chase walked in. Dani didn't say anything, instead heading upstairs, while Skylar and Chase joined Calla, Bree, and I. A moment later, Kaz came in to join us.

"Where were you?" Calla questioned, noticing that the two of them were in their mission uniforms.

"Oh, we went after some of the robbers from this morning. It's all good." Chase promised, kissing his wife on the forehead.

"So? Who won?" Skylar questioned.

"It was a tie." Calla and I responded at the same time.

"They both tried to kill each other." Bree added. Skylar and Chase exchanged vaguely amused looks.

"I'm not exactly surprised." Chase sighed.

"No, it's fine. Actually, I was going to talk to you about something." Calla turned back to me. "So, something occurred me during our little competition. Science and magic, regardless of which you believe is better, are just two different methods of doing the same thing."

"Yes. And two plus two is four, and the sky is blue, and the earth is round. Thank you for the update, Captain Obvious." I commented. Calla gave me a look.

"Actually, the sky is technically grey and just looks blue because of the way light works, but that's not the point." She shook her head. "I was thinking, right now we're fighting over which one is better and we're using them separately, but what if we combined them?"

"Like weaving my magic into your technology?" I asked, frowning at her as I considered the idea.

"Is that even possible?" Skylar questioned, glancing at me. I bit my lip, thinking.

"I mean, maybe. But I don't have any technology-compatible spells in my spell book." I told them. They looked disappointed, so I added, "I mean, I'm sure there's spells out there, but I'd need a more powerful spell book."

"Where would we be able to find one?" Kaz questioned. I shook my head.

"I don't know. Real spells books aren't exactly easy to find." I commented.

"So I take it I wouldn't be able to ask a clerk at Barnes & Noble to help me, now would I?" Calla guessed.

"No, not really." I replied. She nodded to herself.

"In that case, I'm going to have MISS set to search for mentions of them." She decided. "Maybe the reason we haven't been able to track down the others is because we've been looking the wrong way."

"Maybe." I hummed thoughtfully. Kaz suddenly frowned and looked around.

"Hey, where's Oliver?" He questioned. Calla and I suddenly looked at each other, remembering.

"Oh, they're not going to be happy with us." The genius realized, a guilty smile appearing on her face.

 **The Engineer's POV**

"In that case, I'm going to have MISS set to search for mentions of them." I smiled at the sound of Calla's voice, pleased that the sound was so clear, despite the distance between the bug and our base of operations. "Maybe the reason we haven't been able to track down the others is because we've been looking the wrong way."

"Maybe." Another voice, one that we'd identified as belonging to a former student of Dr. Wrath, commented. I muted the live stream, knowing that the recording would be unaffected, and turned to my boss.

"I told you our spy would be able to get us ears inside the penthouse." I told him, pleased with myself. He nodded, though he didn't look all that impressed.

"Find those spell books before they do." He ordered. I nodded.

"I'll send our best guy." I assured him.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Well? C'mon guys, you know what comes next; I beg you to review and tell me what you think, some of you review, and I get more excited and pumped to write the more reviews I get. Anyway, here's the new updating schedule:**

 **February 26** **th** **– Lost and Found**

 **March 5** **th** **– Abducted**

 **March 12** **th** **– Fantasy Leagues and Baby Showers**

 **Anyway, I** _ **promise**_ **I will see you guys on Monday. And don't forget to review!**


	39. The Grimoire

**Kihonne: Sorry, again, for the late chapter guys. I can't even blame this one on school – I did not like the way the first two drafts of this turned out, so I ended up scrapping them and rewriting, hence why you're getting this almost a week later than planned. That being said, I'm sure all of you would rather appreciate a better update than a faster update. I appreciate the patience, guys,. Anyway, I don't want to waste too much more of your time with my babbling, so let's get onto the shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: Good observation. I'd keep that bit in mind for a little bit. Sorry about making you wait even longer, but I think you're going to enjoy the chapter. As for the spy…well, all I'll say is expect the unexpected, my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter though, and I hope you like this one just as much.**

 **TheRealHarrisonW: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I feel like the Grandson/Grandfather thing is going to bug a lot of people for a while, so you're not alone. Interesting about the Rani thing, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no to your borrowing Dani or any of my other OCs. I assure you it's nothing personal, I just have a personal policy against allowing people to borrow my characters. Anyway, sorry if that's a disappointment, but I hope you enjoy the chapter regardless.**

 **Bennweirlover17: Thanks!**

 **SzymonS: Thank you! I'm glad you like Rani – she's going to be fun to have around this season. As for Jessica, you're right that in D is for Dating (chapter 8 of The Year Between), they agreed that it was too soon after Kaz and Dani's breakup for them to date, but that they might try again later. By R is for Reconnecting (chapter 36 of The Year Between), they were back together (Oliver tells Dani that Kaz is dating someone, though he doesn't call Jessica by name), having taken a break before trying to date again. I go over that again in a little detail in this chapter, but that's the gist of it.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you're enjoying the season, especially with Rani in it. She's really fun to write, plus I love writing the black magic into the chapters. She and Calla's collaboration is going to be fun, though it may cause a little bit of trouble for the team. That's an interesting theory about Jess planting the bug. Though I won't say who planted the bug, it is refreshing to see someone think outside the box – most theories involve a member of the team being a spy. As for the Boss and the Engineer, all I will reveal is this: you have met ONE of them already (I won't say which), though both of them have been named at least once in the series (not necessarily in The Power of Seven though). I will also say that the Engineer's comment on Spotlight's looks was supposed to imply that they are a character who is interested in men, so take that how you will. As for Rani, we're going to see a bit of bonding with her and Dani, especially in one chapter that focuses primarily on the two girls (currently it's title Repetition, though I'm considering changing it). We're also going to see Rani bonding with the others a little here and there, particularly Skylar. Anyway, I really think you're going to like what I've got in store this season. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Hey, I'll never judge someone for taking their time with a review, especially not after getting two chapters in late. I'm afraid you're probably going to be confused for a while my friend – I can't reveal who they are just yet, but trust me, there's going to be a hell of a twist involved. You're right – character relationships are going to have big impacts this season. I appreciate the offer to chat, and believe me, if I need to talk, I'm very happy to know that I can come to you. I really appreciate it, and the patience you have for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Amazingchichi741: Here's the new chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Rio: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. She only owns me, Calla, Dani, Rani, and Alivia, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Chase's POV**

Calla let out a soft sigh, a sound that was somehow both sympathetic and irritated at the same time, as she watched Bree bounce her knee up and down at superspeed. I took my wife's hand, trying to distract her from Bree's rather annoying nervous habit, and she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"Bree, Dani is a professional superhero and an experienced doctor." Alivia said slowly, patiently. "She is more than capable and qualified of watching over Noah for one night."

"I know." Bree sighed. "It's just…this is the first time we've left the city without him, and I just have this bad feeling about it."

"Dani wouldn't let anything happen." I reasoned.

"She promised she'd take good care of him." Jaden added, kissing the top of Bree's head. "Not to mention, if she _does_ need help, she has Kaz, Oliver, Skylar, Rani, Jessica, and Mrs. Franklin from down the hall to go to. Noah will be fine."

Before Bree could protest – and we all knew she would – the hydroloop's doors opened up to reveal the main entrance to the Bionic Academy. Leo, Adam, and Rio were all gathered in the room, waiting for us.

"About time." Rio smiled upon seeing us, quickly coming in for hugs. I smirked and stepped past her to bump fists with my brothers. Meanwhile, Alivia was taking a look outside the large window, admiring the view of the ocean.

"Nice, right?" Leo grinned. The Irish hero turned around, her expression quickly turning from admiration to sour jealousy.

"We have a twenty-year-old warehouse outside of New York, that we had to renovate ourselves, and you have a state of the art, high-tech academy on your own private island?" She demanded. Calla nodded.

"Yup." She agreed.

"So not fair." Alivia muttered under her breath, shaking her head. She turned to the others. "Seriously though, we should get to work." She glanced at Rio. "Still no sign of Taylor or your brother?"

Rio sighed, leaning heavily on the computer desk. "No." She replied regretfully. She bit her lip. "I can't even get in contact with Kieran through our bionic twin telepathy."

"Can you sense him at all?" Alivia asked. She shook her head.

"It doesn't work like that; it's more like a comm device inside our heads that can only communicate with each other. It's not about sensing each other, but he should have responded."

"I'm sure they're okay." Bree was quick to reassure her, but Rio didn't seem to believe her words. Not that I blamed her – they'd been missing for a month and a half now without an explanation – the chances that they were okay were getting slimmer with every passing second.

"Has anyone else gone missing?" Calla questioned, looking at Adam and Leo.

"All students are accounted for." Adam assured her. Jaden frowned, looking around.

"Hey, I thought Katherine was going to greet us too." He commented, noticing his former kitchen assistant's absence.

"There was an avalanche in Siberia. She's gone to go help with search and rescue. Logan, Kate, Daniel, Bob, and Spin went along." Leo replied.

"Well, at least we know no one else has been taken. We should institute a buddy-system or something." Bree suggested.

"Kieran and Taylor were taken together." Adam pointed out.

"Actually, Calla and I had an idea about that." Leo commented. Calla nodded.

"We're going to update and upgrade the GPS systems so that if a signal ever goes offline, even for a second, messages are immediately sent to the team, Adam, Leo, Alivia, and Arciere." She explained. She pulled a flash drive from her pocket. "We should get started on that, actually. Plus, I wanted to see if we could try sending an update to Kieran and Taylor's chips."

"Their signals are offline though." Adam frowned, not understanding. Leo smirked.

"Exactly. We can't do the update, so it should hit the chips and bounce back. We'll be able to trace where it bounces off of." He explained.

"That's brilliant." Alivia complimented.

"We know." Calla smirked proudly. Leo chuckled.

"We'll catch up with you guys later." He called to us as he and Calla left the room, presumably heading to our old quarters to get some work done.

"In the meantime, we'd like to see where Kieran and Taylor were taken from." I turned to Rio. She frowned.

"We already searched the forest, Chase, when they first went missing. We didn't find anything that implied foul play." She told me.

"But now that we know that their disappearance is connected to Spotlight's and Scarlet Ace's, we may be able to spot things that we wouldn't have noticed before, or even considered to be important." Alivia reasoned. She looked at Adam and Rio earnestly. "Trust me, with proper context, there's a lot more we can still learn from their disappearance site."

"Alright, let's go." Adam agreed, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Hey, you wanna do something?" Skylar asked, sitting down next to me and twisting so that she could rest her legs on top of mine. I put down my book, intrigued. "I mean, we might as well, with everyone else gone."

"Sure. We could catch a movie, or we could do something here?" I suggested, smirking suggestively. Most of the team was back in Mission Creek, looking for clues about Kieran and Taylor, and almost everyone else had plans for the rest of the night, so it wasn't likely that we would be interrupted.

"What did you have in mind?" Skylar asked, leaning in closer. I smiled suggestively, leaning into kiss her.

"Hey." I pulled back, a little startled when Rani suddenly appeared before us. "You busy?"

"Uh…" Skylar and I exchanged looks, "kind of, yeah."

"Huh. Well, this is more important." Rani decided, not caring. "Meet me in Mission Command in two."

Without another word, she turned on her heels and walked straight into the hyperlift. Skylar and I both stared at where she'd been.

"Where did she even come from?" I hissed.

"I have no idea." Skylar sighed, moving to get up. She let out an irritable noise. "This had better be important."

 **Xxx**

"About time." Rani commented as we walked into Mission Command. I gave her a look.

"I think you mean, 'thank you Oliver and Skylar for helping me, even after I asked so rudely'." I corrected her. She gave me an appraising look.

"…Whatever you say." She replied before stepping to the side so that we could see the holographic image projecting from the holotable. It didn't look as important as Rani had made it seem – it just looked like an old book, with weird designs and symbols in it. When I voiced my opinion, Rani managed to look both amused and offended.

"First of all, those aren't weird symbols, they're ancient Greek. Secondly, it's not just an old book; you are looking at the Grimoire of Enodia." She retorted, gesturing at the holographic book. The way she said that name, it was like she expected that information to change our lives. She waited a moment, expecting some sort of reaction other than confused, then sighed in annoyance when that was all that she got. "It's the first real spell book, written by the first black magic user."

"Okay, that's cool, I guess." Skylar shrugged. "What does this have to do with us?"

"Look, Calla had a good idea about mixing magic and science, but none of the spells I have in this," she patted her own spell book, "are powerful enough to handle to combination. So I need you to help me get this, if we're ever going to find Liam and the others."

Okay, that _was_ important, I suppose. "Why do you need us?" I questioned.

"Yeah…so, according to legend, it's supposed to be guarded or something. I mean, I'm not sure I believe it, but Alivia has strict rules about going on solo missions, especially after Lily…" She trailed off before shaking her head. "Look, if she found out I went alone, I'd have to listen to a lecture on responsibility and teamwork, and I would rather avoid that if I could."

"Wait, legend?" Skylar frowned, catching onto that word. "Rani, is this thing real, or just a myth?"

"It's real." She insisted. "And according to a friend of Barry's, it's here." The hologram changed to a map of the Aegean Sea, and she pointed to a small island off the coast of Turkey.

"What friend?" I asked, curious. She shook her head.

"Doesn't matter." She smiled a little, as if it were a secret that she was smug about being allowed to know. "But she contacted me and said that according to her research, it's here. Look, I need this book if we're going to find the others. I would ask Dani to help me, but she's busy. So, are you in, or are you out?"

Skylar and I exchanged looks. "We're in."

 **Xxx**

We'd just barely arrived on the island, curtesy of one of Calla's geoleap watches, when Dani's voice popped into my help. _"Please tell me you're not busy."_ Her voice pleaded suddenly, catching me off guard. Skylar raised an eyebrow at my sudden start, but I waved her off. Rani, on the other hand, started on ahead of us, walking through the dense forest in search for…well, actually, I couldn't tell what she was looking for.

" _Kinda. Is it an emergency?"_ I replied as Skylar and I followed Rani. Dani didn't answer for a long moment, possibly considering how to answer.

" _He won't stop crying."_ She eventually said. I couldn't help the small smirk that came to my lips at that – Dani sounded desperate already, and Bree and Jaden had only been gone four hours. God knows what she'd do if she ever had kids of her own.

" _Have you tried feeding him?"_ I asked, teasing slightly.

" _Well, duh. And changing him, and I even tried singing to him, but that…well, it kinda made things worse."_ She admitted. _"Ollie, help."_

"Whoa." I stopped suddenly as the trees parted, revealing massive ruins of what looked like an ancient Greek temple. Rani glanced back at me, a smirk on her lips, before bounding forward to investigate them.

" _What?"_ Dani demanded suddenly. Oops, must have thought and said that at the same time.

" _Never mind. Sorry, Dee, but I'm kinda out of the country."_ She didn't reply to that verbally, but a strong sense of confusion emanated from her mind. _"Long story. On a mission with Skylar and Rani. Just try to get him to eat something, and if that doesn't work, call Kaz. He's got half a dozen younger siblings; I'm sure he'll know what to do."_

" _He's on a date."_ Dani reminded me. I glanced at the girls, who were already halfway up the stairs of the ruins.

" _Sorry, Dee. You're on your own."_ I told her apologetically before running after them.

"Dani?" Skylar guessed. I nodded.

"Noah's being fussy, and she's panicking. She'll be fine." I assured her. I looked around the ruins. They weren't much – just a handful of columns still standing, with only a few pieces of the roof still intact. I could easily imagine it being a massive temple though, centuries before time had reduced it to almost nothing. "So, where exactly is this book supposed to be?"

"Uh…" Rani faltered, looking around. "Didn't really think about that, actually."

Skylar sighed and glanced at me. "We could be here a while." She guessed.

 **Chase's POV**

"This is the same type of burn as we found where Liam was taken." I commented, examining the ruins of a damaged tree. It hadn't taken us long to find where Taylor and Kieran were taken from – there was a clearing in the woods where a fight had clearly taken place.

"We thought it might be from Taylor's laser sphere ability – they leave burns in some materials, depending on how powerful it is." Rio mentioned, crossing her arms uncomfortably as she looked around the scene. She bit her lip. "Leo wasn't sure, but we just figured…"

Adam glanced at her when she trailed off. "Ri-o." He emphasized the last sound in her name, getting her to look at him. "Kieran and Taylor are some of the best on the island. They'll be fine."

"Besides, chances are, wherever they are, they're with Lily and Liam. They'll watch each other's backs." Bree added kindly. Rio nodded.

"I know. I'm just…I'm not used to not having him in my head." She shook her head as if to clear it, before turning to Alivia. "So, does anything else look like your crime scene?"

"Not really." Alivia sighed, disappointed. She'd been hoping for something more, maybe something that would narrow down where their kidnappers were from.

"Hey." Jaden spoke up suddenly from where he was kneeling next to a bush. He held up a small object that looked suspiciously like a gun magazine.

"It's a rifle magazine." Adam supplied with a scowl. "Apparently, this is a popular hunting area."

"Uh, I don't think that's what it is. At the very least, this isn't an ordinary magazine." Jaden shook his head. "My dad used to take me hunting before he joined the army. I don't think I've ever seen a magazine made out of this kind of material."

"Let me see." I held my hand out for the magazine. Jaden, after checking to make sure it was indeed empty, tossed it to me. I turned it over in my hands, examining the cool, thin metal-like material. It didn't feel right, and a quick scan confirmed that it wasn't any man-made material. At least, not one in my database. "I have no idea what this is." I declared, handing it off to Alivia.

"I think I do, actually." She frowned, examining it. She nodded to herself once. "Yeah, I think I've seen this before."

"Where?" Bree questioned, confused.

"In one of my dad's old files." She replied. She looked at us. "We should bring this back to the Academy – if it's what I think it is, Calla should be able to look up the file through your AI."

 **Kaz's POV**

"I'm sorry about the audition." I told Jessica, smiling at her apologetically as I sipped at my coffee. She sighed, shrugging.

"It's fine. Honestly, I haven't been getting many roles lately anyway." She replied, sounding disappointed. I didn't comment on that, not wanting to upset her further. The truth was, Jessica hadn't had a real role in a long time. Her last couple fell through last minute, either due to lack of funding for the projects or scenes being cut, and the last real film she'd been in was a couple of years ago. "I'm considering getting out of the business of acting, actually."

"I'm sure you'll get the next role you go for." I encouraged her. She shrugged.

"I don't know. It's kind of lost its appeal on me." She shrugged before groaning and burying her face in her arms on the table. "This is depressing. Can we change the subject?"

"Anything for the birthday girl." I smiled at her. "Wanna hear what I've got planned for today?"

"Yes, please." She raised her head, smiling as she reached her hands out to place them on my wrists, her fingers grazing the glass top of the watch she'd given me for our six month anniversary.

"Okay, so I was thinking mini golf at that indoor, glow-in-the-dark place, then dinner at the Fermont-" She gasped, cutting me off.

"I love their shrimp." She beamed.

"I know, I remember." I smirked at her. "And then, I was thinking we get ice cream from the parlor on 6th street." I finished. She smiled. "How does that sound?"

"Perfect." She replied, leaning in to kiss me. Just as her lips touched mine, however, my phone went off, vibrating loudly on the table. She moved her face back an inch, just close enough that our noses were still touching. "Do you need to get that?"

"I…" The truth was, I probably did. Everyone knew that I had important plans today, so it was unlikely that anyone would call me unless it was for a mission, and with most of the team out of town, if there were a mission, I had to be there. "I'm sorry."

"I knew what I was getting into, dating a bionic hero." Jessica assured me. I winced slightly at the lie I'd been forced to tell her, but thankfully, she didn't seem to notice. I quickly answered the phone, stepping away from the table.

"Is this important?" I asked, right off the bat.

" _I think Noah's sick."_ Dani's voice, half-panicked, half-apologetic, and too fast, came from the other line. _"He won't stop crying, and he won't eat, and before you ask, yes I checked his diaper. And he puked on me."_

"First, gross. Second, I'm sure he's not sick. He probably just misses Bree and Jay." I assured her, pinching the bridge of my nose. I sent Jessica an apologetic smile.

" _Are you sure? Kaz, I don't know anything about babies, but I do think something is wrong."_ She insisted. _"Ollie, Skylar, and Rani all bailed. I'm on my own here."_

"This is your first time babysitting an infant?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

" _Yes."_ She murmured. I nodded to myself.

"Dani, the kid's fine, just upset. Try giving him a belly rub or burping him. I'm sure it'll help." I promised her. She started to object. "Look, Dee, I have to go – I promised Jessica I'd spend her birthday with her. But look, you try that, and I'll call in a few hours to check in on you guys."

" _Alright."_ She sighed, not liking my answer.

"C'mon, Dee, you've got this." I encouraged her. She sighed again, this time less upset though.

" _Okay, yeah. Yeah, you're right. Thanks Kaz."_ She hung up after that and I headed back to Jessica. "Ready for mini-golf?"

"Yeah, if you don't have to go." She replied. I shook my head.

"Nah, it was just Dani. She's freaking out about babysitting." I replied. Jessica frowned; I knew she didn't like to discuss Dani because of our history. "It's fine. Let's go."

"Okay." She smiled once more, grabbing her jacket with one hand and taking my hand with the other.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Rani, we've been out here forever." I called after checking around the ruins for the hundredth time. "It's not here."

"Two hours is not forever." Rani corrected as she knelt down next to a column, examining its base as if there would be a hidden button or something. "Keep looking."

"Rani." Skylar said calmly, looking at the former villain. "Oliver's right; there's nothing here. Your source was wrong."

"She hasn't been wrong yet." She insisted. I frowned.

"Who is your source?" I questioned. She shook her head. "Rani!"

"I promised I wouldn't reveal her identity." She insisted. She smirked smugly at me. "Heroes don't break promises, Oliver."

I rolled my eyes at that; of course Rani would find a way to play the hero card against the rest of us. "Okay then." I stood up, stretching. "Maybe it's somewhere else on the island then. Just because there are ruins here doesn't mean that the book is here. It could just as easily be hidden under a rock or something on the other side of the island."

"No, the ruins make more sense." Rani frowned, her tone hesitant, like she didn't believe her own words.

"Wait a second." Skylar looked up suddenly, her facing clearing. "You said that this Enodia was the first witch?"

"Well, we're not called witches, but you have the right idea, yeah. Why?" Rani questioned.

"If she went through all this effort to hide her spell book, doesn't it make sense that she'd use everything she could to keep it hidden, including magic?" Skylar questioned. Rani's mouth formed the shape of an O suddenly, before she smacked herself in the head.

"Imbecile." She muttered, angry with herself. "The grimoire must be hidden by magic."

"Which means that magic might be the only thing that can find it." I finished, realizing where Skylar was going with this. I looked at Rani. "Right?"

She didn't answer, instead standing up and looking around thoughtfully. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hands, her fingers spread wide. _"Occulta revelando."_

We all waited a moment to see if anything would happen, but nothing did. "I don't think anything is here." I said, turning to Rani. "Maybe we should-"

I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence, because suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath me. I fell only a couple of feet, landing on a set of marble stairs leading downwards. "Never mind. I stand corrected."

Skylar and Rani walked over to the top of the stairs. We all looked down to where they descended into darkness. "Well, this doesn't look ominous at all." Skylar commented dryly before leading the way down them.

 **Kaz's POV**

"This was great." Jessica smiled at me, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as a waitress handed us the check. We both reached for it at the same time, though I got to it first.

"Your birthday, I pay." I reminded her, double checking the amount before tossing a few bills onto the table.

"So, ice cream?" Jessica smiled at me. I nodded.

"Yeah, I just have to make a call first." I told her, getting up. She frowned, confused. "I'll be right back, I promise."

"Okay." She nodded, giving me a smile before I headed towards the washrooms. Once I got away from the sounds of the restaurant, I pulled out my phone.

" _Hi?"_ Dani's voice, breathless and small for some reason, replied.

"Hey, I said I would check in. How's Noah?" I asked, leaning against the wall.

" _Uh…great. Yeah, we're good."_ I frowned. There was something off about her voice. _"We're great. You uh, you didn't need to check in. We're all good here."_

"Uh…are you sure?" I asked, not entirely sure that I believed her.

" _Yeah, totally. Have fun with Jess."_ She hung up before I could respond. I stood there a moment, knowing full well that something was wrong. Oh, Jess was not going to like this.

 **Oliver's POV**

"This is a bad idea." I sang softly as I followed the girls down into the underground chamber. They ignored me, Skylar walking with one hand trailing across the left wall while Rani was reading through her spell book as she walked. I sighed, pushed down the feeling that I was right, and continued after them.

After about fifty feet, the tunnel opened up into a large chamber, looking pretty much like the set of an Indian Jones movies. It was the whole deal – ancient carvings of birds on the wall, bulky statues of guards in each corner of the room, and, in the very center of it, a massive, rectangular coffin.

"Okay, this is creepy." Skylar admitted, pulling out her phone to use as a flashlight. She swept the beam onto one of the statues. "Especially him."

"Ignore him." I suggested, glancing behind me.

"I can't. It's like he's watching me." She replied, swaying to either side while keeping her eyes locked on the statue. She shuddered before moving on to look at the inscriptions on the walls.

They were all the same inscription, a continuous pattern of letters and symbols, though they were impossible to read. It reminded me of the symbols in Rani's spell book, but at the same time, they were completely different. I turned to ask her if she knew what they said, then noticed how she was examining the coffin.

"Please don't tell me you're going to open that." I called, trying to draw her attention away from it. It probably had a gross-looking mummy inside.

"It might have the grimoire inside." She insisted. She grunted in exertion as she tried and failed to open it. "Oliver, you're supposed to be strong, right?"

"Supposed to be?" I questioned. She gave me a look.

"You don't exactly look like it." She pointed out. I rolled my eyes. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"No way. I'm not helping you open up that creepy-ass coffin." I retorted. She scowled at me, annoyed.

"Oh, for goodness's sake." Skylar muttered, walking up to the coffin. She put two hands on the lid and started to move it, the lid scraping noisily against the walls of the coffin. But before she could get it move it more than an inch, something else in the room began to move. Four somethings.

"The statues are alive?" Rani demanded, spinning around as the block-like statues began to move towards us.

"You have got to be kidding me." Skylar muttered, shaking her head.

 **Chase's POV**

"Cool." Calla smiled, turning the magazine over in her hands, examining it with an expert eye as she leaned back in her chair. We'd immediately found her and Leo in the mentor's old quarters when we'd returned, though Alivia had called her on the way to give her the head's up. "Space metal."

"So Chase was right, it isn't manmade?" Jaden questioned. I sent him an annoyed look. "It's a fair question; just because it's not in your database, doesn't mean that some company hasn't developed a new mineral. Didn't they do that in Ironman or something?"

"You watch too many movies." I grumbled.

"Boys." Bree warned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It's not manmade. Alivia, I checked those files like you told me to, and you're right; it's alien." Calla confirmed. She glanced at Leo, who typed a couple of things into his IPad. The monitor above the desk turned on to reveal an image of a meteorite crash site, somewhere in the north. "This is the Tamarack Lake Asteroid. It crashed down in Pennsylvania about sixteen years ago."

"In it, traces of a new mineral were found. I don't know what it's called, but it's pretty cool." Leo continued. He gestured at the magazine still in Calla's hands. "It's not the strongest substance in the world, but it is the most durable. Nothing can break this."

"Well…" Calla trailed off and we all looked at her. "Clearly, that's not true, since it had to be cut and shaped like this, but I have no idea what would be able to do that."

"Why haven't we heard about this before?" Rio questioned, leaning against the wall.

"Men in Black took it, right?" Adam guessed. I looked at him. "Jaden's not the only one who watches movies."

"He's right though; the government would deal with the asteroid. They wouldn't want something like that falling into the wrong hands." Alivia mentioned before I could call him an idiot. Adam smirked smugly.

"Thank you, Geminus." He replied while smirking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"Which agency?" I asked, looking at Calla and Leo.

"No idea." Leo replied. He glanced at Calla before continuing. "CIA, MI6, FBI, we've checked every agency, even UPSEI. There's not a mention of it. Hell, the only reason we have the information we have is because Clone Master was first on the scene."

"Is it possible that the League recovered it?" Jaden questioned. Alivia shook her head.

"No. I've been through all their files – my father was the only one with references to it." The Irish hero shook her head.

"Then it is possible that a villain got a hold of it. Truth is, it doesn't matter who grabbed it first." I mentioned. "It could have been passed around, stolen, given away, throughout the years."

"He's right. There's no guarantee that whoever took it first still has it." Bree agreed. She looked at Calla and Leo. "Is there any way to track it?"

"Not really. I've set MISS and Eddy up to both get alerts if anything similar hits the internet, but it's a long shot." Calla replied with a sigh.

"What about your idea to ping Kieran and Taylor's chips?" Rio asked, frowning. Leo shook his head.

"The signal should have bounced – at least, that's how Douglas and Krane designed them to in case of a situation like this – but nothing. It's like it got absorbed or something." He explained.

"Which means there's serious protection around wherever they're being held." Calla added, annoyed.

"So, what? We learned nothing from today?" Rio demanded, crossing her arms. Alivia gave her a sympathetic smile.

"We learned that whoever took them means serious business. We also know that they're most likely alive." She added. Rio frowned, not really sure where she got that from. "I assume the chips would still ping, even if they were dead?" Alivia confirmed, glancing at Calla. She nodded slowly. "If our friends were dead, they'd just dump the bodies somewhere, not bring them back to their base, which we can only assume they're at because of the protection. So, it makes more sense that they're locked up somewhere, alive."

"That's a lot of assumptions." Jaden noted.

"Well, we don't have much more than that, do we?" Alivia challenged. He sighed.

"I suppose." He agreed.

"I just wish we knew more." Bree added.

"We'll find them." I promised, looking particularly at Rio and Alivia. "It's just going to take some time."

"I just hope they have time." Rio sighed before walking away. Adam watched her go, then glanced at us.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jaden asked, concerned. We all knew how close she and Kieran were – this must be killing her. Adam nodded.

"Yeah. And if not…well, I'll be there." He replied. He smiled at us. "I should go check on her though."

"Yeah." I nodded and he jogged off, calling her name. Leo looked at us.

"You guys spending the night?" He asked.

"Yeah, doesn't make much sense to go home this late." Calla replied. I glanced at my watch, not having realized how late it was.

"Dang. Yeah, good call, babe." I agreed. I looked at the others. "Order a pizza, I guess?"

 **Kaz's POV**

The door opened up just as I was in the middle of knocking for the second time. I whistled when I saw Dani, half amused.

"Looking good, Short." I teased. Her hair was a mess, there was spit-up on her shirt, her eyes were red as if she'd been crying, and she was still bouncing Noah gently up and down, all while the five-month-old cried.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, surprised, even as she stepped back to let me into Bree and Jaden's apartment.

"You sounded desperate." I replied, placing the plastic bag I'd brought with me on the counter before reaching out for Noah. She handed him over without hesitation, relief washing over her face.

"I think he's got a fever or something. He won't eat, he's sick about four times." She informed me as I settled the still-crying kid in my arms. "I was in the middle of dialing Jaden's number when you knocked."

"Let's see." I pulled Noah closer to my chest so I could free one of my hands to check his forehead. "Yeah, maybe…I've got some infant Tylenol in my bag."

"You do?" Dani frowned before going through the plastic bag.

"Thought he might be sick and figured it was better to be safe than sorry." I explained as she opened the bottle and handed it to me. She then pulled out a box of frozen tofu-pops and held it up, looking at me questioningly. "For later?"

"You're staying?" She asked, surprised. I nodded and tried to give the medicine to the baby, but Noah stubbornly pulled his head away.

"Might as well. I brought a couple of movies too." I told her. I sighed, looking at Noah. "Why don't you go change and I'll handle this?"

"Change?" She glanced down at her shirt, having forgotten the little mess Noah had left behind. "Damn it! Thanks, Kaz." She started to head towards the guest room, where I assume she'd brought her overnight bag, but then stopped at the door. "Seriously Kaz, thank you."

I just gave her a smile, watched as she went into the room, then looked back at Noah. "Alright little buddy, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which is it?"

 **Xxx**

"You are a godsend." Dani sighed happily, sitting down on the couch next to me. Noah had finally eaten and gone to sleep after taking the medicine and was now happily dreaming away in his crib. Dani, now changed into a clean shirt, and I were sitting on the couch, snacking on tofu pops while an old superhero movie played in the background. "Jess must be pissed though."

"She's…she's not thrilled, but she gets it." I assured her. Well, actually, she was more than pissed. She didn't understand why Dani couldn't handle a kid on her own, or why I had to run over, but I got the feeling that she was more annoyed with the fact that it was Dani I was helping rather than me leaving the date to help take care of Noah. "I'll make it up to her. There's this play next week that I know she wants to see – I'll get us tickets or something."

"You could have stayed. I would have figured all this out…eventually." Dani waved her hands vaguely in the direction of Noah's room. I shook my head.

"It's fine. What are friends for?" I replied. She gave me a thin smile.

"So," She sat up, turning so that she was facing me, "I have a question, about Jessica, but I don't want to ask her because I don't think she'll appreciate it."

I frowned. "Shoot."

"She's an actress, right?" I nodded. "What is she even in? I tried finding her online, but she's in, like, nothing."

"She hasn't had much luck in getting roles. She's more of an aspiring actress than a professional one." I replied, frowning. "Why were you googling my girlfriend?"

"Uh…" Dani hesitated before sighing. "She doesn't seem to like me much, and I thought maybe we could bond over some of the stuff she's been in, but I can't find anything at all."

"Why do you care if she likes you?" I asked, confused. Dani shrugged.

"She's going to be around a lot, so I figured I might as well be friends with her." She replied. I shook my head.

"You don't have to, you know. Just because we're together, doesn't mean you have to be friends with her." I told her. "I mean, it'd be great if you were, but don't force it, okay?"

"Okay." She agreed, leaning back in the couch again, our shoulders brushing a little as she went down. She glanced over at me. "How'd that happen, anyway? She doesn't really seem like your type."

I shrugged. "We've got a bit in common. Calla set it up the first time." I replied. Dani frowned.

"The first time?" She repeated. I nodded.

"Our first date didn't go that well, but then she called me up a few months later and we tried again." I explained. She nodded thoughtfully. "So, what it like living at League's base? I can't imagine you and Rani living together under the same roof?"

"Because it's the weirdest and most unexpected friendship ever?" Dani guessed, laughing.

"Yeah, pretty much." I agreed.

"Well, it was pretty weird at first. And we kept going way overboard in training. But eventually-" She was cut off midsentence by Noah's crying, coming loud and clear through the baby monitor. "Damn it, kid."

"I've got it." I told her, starting to get up, but she gently pushed me back on the couch.

"You already saved the day. The least I can do is take the first turn at quieting him down." She told me, not giving me the chance to object before heading for the kid's room. I shrugged, grabbed another tofu pop out of the box, and leaned back on the couch, waiting for her to come back.

 **Oliver's POV**

I ducked low to the ground as the statue took a swing as my head, narrowly avoiding getting my skull caved in by a massive, fifty-pound, rock fist. However, with my attention focused on the first statue, it gave the second one a chance to come up behind me. He punched me hard in the back, knocking me to the ground, the air fleeing from my lung. Gasping for air, I rolled to the side as the statue tried to step on me. I raised a hand at the statue and blasted it with as much ice as I could muster, but it didn't seem to affect the statue in the slightest, the ice just melting off it as soon as I finished my attack.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rani and Skylar dealing with similar problems. Skylar's energy blast could normally take enemies out without a hitch, but all of her blasts were disappearing the moment they touched the statues. And despite the shadows painted on the wall by the dim lighting in here, all of Rani's darkness attacks were flying through the statues, as if they weren't really there.

"This isn't working!" Skylar shouted before gracefully cartwheeling backwards to avoid a statue's fists.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Rani shouted back, stumbling a little as she barely avoided being smashed together by not one, but two different statues. "Why though?"

"They're magic!" I realized it as I said it. It made sense, and really, was there another explanation for us being attacked by freaking statues?

"Try a spell!" Skylar shouted, leaping into the air to avoid a statue's foot.

"Right!" Rani nodded quickly, backing away from the statue and pulling out her spell book. But before she could cast a spell, the statues she was fighting descended upon her, all while she was preoccupied by looking for a spell to do what she needed. One of them slammed in her side, knocking her to the ground. Her spell book went flying from her hand, landing off to the side as the second statue charged at her, pushing her into the wall. His hand, still in the form of a rocky fist, pressed against her throat, effectively cutting off her oxygen supply.

"Rani!" Skylar shouted, wanting to help but too busy dealing with her own statue to be able to. I tried to get to her magic-user but was blocked by my own statue.

Rani, meanwhile, had one hand on the statue's fist, trying in vain to dislodge it, while the other was pointing desperately at her spell book, her mouth moving as she tried to communicate something to us. I lunged for the book, rolling across the ground to avoid the statue's fists, and swept it up in my hands. Glancing once more at Rani to make sure I wasn't mistaken when I thought I saw her mouthing the word 'twelve', I quickly flipped to the twelfth page.

I backed up as a statue charged at me, careful to avoid the mistake of not giving them at least part of my attention, then glanced at the page. There were a few phrases in it that I didn't recognize, but one of them was underlined in sparkly purple pen (oh, I would make fun of Rani for that if she wasn't terrifying). Next to it, written in the same color ink, were the words 'EMERGENCIES ONLY'.

Well, this was an emergency. I raised my hand, hoping that was what I was supposed to do because it was impossible to understand what I was reading, and shouted "Prohibere omnes magicae!"

Suddenly, every one of the statues froze in place. Skylar didn't question it for a second, instead rushing to Rani's side and shoving the statue back. It didn't move much, but just enough for Rani to slide out of its grip. "You okay?" Skylar demanded as she leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. Rani nodded, rubbing her throat.

"Thanks." She nodded appreciatively at me. I handed her back her spell book.

"What did I just do?" I questioned. "And by the way, how? I'm not a magic user."

"You negated…the magic." She cleared her throat. "And anyone can use magic; you just need to know how."

"For how long?" Skylar asked, eyeing the statues warily.

"About an hour." Rani replied, heading for the coffin.

"Are you serious?" I asked her incredulously. She gave me a half-smile.

"Don't you want to see what all this trouble's been about?" She asked before starting to push on the lid. I sighed and started to help her, using my super strength to shove it off of the coffin altogether. It landed on the floor with a loud _crack_ , the lid splitting down the middle before settling in the dust.

"Oh thank God." I muttered in relief when we discovered that there wasn't a body inside the coffin. Instead, there was a cloth-bound book, about the size of an encyclopedia. Rani pulled the cloth away to reveal weird writing on the cover, above the image of a black bird. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, this is the grimoire." Rani smiled triumphantly, holding it tightly in her hands. She smiled at us. "See, it wasn't that hard."

Skylar and I both looked at her, then exchanged glances. "We're leaving you here." Skylar declared, grabbing my hand and half-dragging me towards the stairs.

 **Kaz's POV**

"…Kaz? Kaz, wake up." I felt something land on my shoulder, shaking it gently. I groaned, turning my head back into the pillow. "Kaz, I brought breakfast."

I opened my eyes at that to see Bree standing over me, a bemused expression on her face. "I can't believe that worked." Jaden chuckled, walking into the room with Noah in his arms. I glanced to my left to see Dani slowly waking up on her side of the couch, the blanket I'd draped over her when she finally fell asleep now crumpled in a ball on the ground. He glanced at us, equally bemused as his wife. "Have a nice night?"

"Ugh." Dani groaned, rubbing her face. She glanced at them, then nodded at Noah. "He got sick a little, so we gave him some Tylenol-"

"The one for babies." I added when I saw Bree's expression at that. She nodded, turning back to Dani.

"And then he woke us up about twice in the middle of the night." Dani added.

"What are you doing here?" Bree asked, looking at me.

"She's terrible with kids?" I tried.

"I needed back up." Dani explained. Jaden chuckled and nodded in understanding. Bree took Noah from him, smiling at her son, while Jaden pulled out his wallet.

"How much do I owe you?" He asked, glancing at Dani. She glanced at me, then looked Jaden in the eye, deadly serious.

"I'll make you a deal: you don't have to pay me a cent," she said slowly, "if you never ask me to do this again."

Jaden and Bree both raised an eyebrow at that. I sighed, standing up and stretching. "Take the deal. It's in everyone's best interest." I suggested.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it, though I would love to hear about what you liked or maybe didn't like in a review. Anyway, two little service announcements, one you won't like, but another I think you will. First, the next chapter is being postponed a little, as there is no way I could get you guys a decent chapter ready by Monday. So, it'll be pushed back a week (sorry), making this the new update schedule:**

 **March 12** **th** **– Abducted**

 **March 19** **th** **– Fantasy League**

 **March 26** **th** **– The Heist**

 **The second part of this service announcement is, as thank you for all your patience with the later chapters (and thank you in advance for your patience when I take the majority of April off to focus on my exams), I will be extending the season by an additional two chapters, changing the number from 15 chapters to 17. I think you're going to really enjoy what I've got planned for you guys. Anyway, I will see you all next Monday, and until then, don't forget to review!**


	40. Somewhere in Time

**Kihonne: First of all, I want to thank all of you for your patience. You guys seriously have more patience than any group of people I've ever met. Second of all, I should probably explain the whole two month disappearance. It's a long story, but the summary is, school work piled up big time for me right before exams, and as there was a lot riding on me doing well this year, I decided to take a short break from writing. I didn't mention it, because I figured I'd only need a week to catch up, then a week turned into two, then a month, and here we are, about two months later. I'm so sorry I didn't give you guys a warning, and thank you so much for your patience. As my exams are officially done and so is the semester, it's not likely to happen again for this story. So don't worry, there shouldn't be any more sudden breaks due to school.**

 **Anyway, because I felt like I should thank you for being so patient with me, I rearranged the chapters to give you a special treat. This is an extra special chapter, with some really fun guest stars, so I hope you enjoy! In addition, I'm going to be holding a little contest, details of which will be available in next week's update. But for now, let's move onto shoutouts and to the chapter itself!**

 **Xxx**

 **Algernon23: Well, the fact that they are a secret may come up again, and it is something the readers to keep in mind. As for the original ideas for the chapter, the grimoire part was handled differently, with more focus on finding it rather than taking it out of the temple, and there was supposed to be a plot of what was going on at the Academy, though I do admit, I like this version of the chapter more. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Good guess about who the informant is – you'll have to wait to find out though. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **LabGirl2001: Thanks so much for being patient with the chapters, I really appreciate it. As for expect the unexpected, well…I'm giving you a little hint at that in this chapter. Thanks again for the birthday wishes, by the way. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Amazingchichi741: Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **GU3ST: Is Jessica one of them? One of whom do you refer? Either way, I can't confirm or deny anything. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and thanks so much for the birthday wishes.**

 **TheRealHarrisonW: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and that you understand about the characters. If you need help, like with coming up with names or something, I'm happy to help.**

 **SzymonS: I know, right? As for the Engineer's best guy, he'll be appearing soon, don't you worry. He may not have been able to get ahold of the spellbook before they did, but that doesn't mean he's not still going to try and get it. And it does seem like Kaz still has feelings for Dani.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I wanted to thank you for your support and patience over the past couple of months. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially seeing Rio, Adam, and Leo again, as well as the fight against the statues – that was actually really fun to write. The spell book is going to be fairly interesting – the girls are going to get into a little with it at one point though, so that's something to look forward to. No, Jessica is not going to be happy with Kaz at all, especially when all the secrets come out. And yeah, maybe Dani shouldn't babysit again. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and that you're excited for this one and the future ones. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Foreverlondon66: Alright, I've updated, as you can see. Sorry the update took so long. I can't promise a whole chapter dedicated to just their love triangle, but you can expect a number of scenes dedicated to them in future chapters.**

 **Guest: Thank you so much, you have no idea how much your review made my day. :) I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, without further ado, here's the chapter!**

 **Ben: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns me, all other OCs, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"Okay, the new target is…" Dani twisted around midair, looking around the surrounding buildings before smirking. "The T on the Walmart sign."

"Easy." I took a moment to prepare a ball of ice before launching it at the sign. Despite the fact that the sign was over 200 feet away, I hit it with perfect accuracy. "Ten points!"

"You used your super strength to help you hit it! That's cheating!" Dani accused, though the laughter in her tone told me she wasn't all that upset.

"Well, this is technically training, so I'm supposed to use it." I teased. She gave me a look. "How about five points?"

"Fine." She chuckled. "That makes it, what? Thirty to twenty-five?"

"You better catch up." I joked, before looking for a target to challenge her with. Late night target practice around the city once a week had become a sort of tradition for us since Dani had returned to Centium City. I knew she'd be leaving as soon as we found the others, but for now, it was kinda like old times.

"Please, I'll kick your butt. First to fifty wins, remember?" She teased, just as her phone began to vibrate.

"Alright, how about you take…" I trailed off, noticing the deep frown on my sister's face as she looked at the caller ID. Letting out an irritated sigh, she blocked the call and pocketed the phone. "Everything okay?"

"Peachy. Where do I shoot?" She asked. Her phone went off again, but she merely ignored it, forcing a smile on her face.

"Is it Kaz?" I asked tentatively, wondering if that was the issue. I'd noticed things had been a little awkward between them since she got back, and with Kaz and Jessica currently in the middle of some fight (I wasn't sure if Dani knew about that though), I wasn't sure what was going on with them. There was an ongoing bet between everyone else in the team whether or not the two of them would get back together, and though I'd managed to avoid picking a side, I was curious how things would turn out.

"No, why would I avoid his calls?" Dani frowned, confused. I shrugged. "It's nothing, Ollie. Just ignore it."

"Alright…" I sighed. I shrugged, getting back into the swing of things. "Okay, so your target is-"

This time, it was my phone that began to ring. I reached to grab it, noting Dani's apprehensive gaze. Once I checked the number though, then realized who'd be calling me from that number, it all came together. "Well, that explains why you're ignoring your phone."

"Don't answer it." Dani asked me, her expression pleading. I sighed, then answered the call.

"What do you want?" I asked, instead of my usual greeting.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Morning." I greeted, making my way into the kitchen early in the morning. To my surprise, the house was abuzz with life, despite the early hour. Alivia and Skylar were in the living room, debating whether it would be a good idea to reintroduce the idea of sidekicks into the New League of Heroes, or if they should just continue with their pattern of treating everyone like heroes, just with different levels of experience, while Rani, Calla, and Chase were at the kitchen table, all working on different projects as they ate their breakfast. Only Dani and Oliver were missing from the Penthouse, though I had no idea where either of the twins were.

"Hey." Alivia gave me a friendly wave as I passed her on my way to the kitchen. "Have you seen Dani or Oliver?"

"No, but Oliver left a note saying they were taking the day off to 'deal with some family stuff." I quoted before grabbing a plate of breakfast and shoveling a massive bite of bacon. "They should be back later."

"What does Jessica see in you?" Alivia asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust when I spoke with my mouth full. I shrugged.

"No idea." I admitted, taking another bite. Skylar chuckled in amusement, filling a plate for herself and sitting down next to Rani and Calla. She was about to dig in when she noticed what Calla was eating.

"Pregnancy cravings?" She guessed as we watched Calla dig her spoon into the bowl of strawberry ice cream, chopped onions, and mustard. She nodded before taking a bite.

"I don't even like strawberry ice cream." She commented after swallowing.

"Yes, because that's the weirdest part about what you're eating." Rani commented, giving her a look. Calla didn't exactly argue with that.

"You're going to be a weird kid." She said to her stomach before continuing to eat and work.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I'm going through some papers, she's trying to design a device that'll turn magic into a real energy source, and Rani's…doing something."

"I'm translating the spells in here," Rani gestured at the large spell book on the left, "using this translator," she gestured to a secondary book, "and I'm writing down the spells I can use in here." She tapped the top of a purple striped notebook.

"Is there anyth-" I began, only to be cut off by one the weirder things to ever happen in this penthouse: a giant wormhole, a faded gold circle midair that opened up in front of the veranda. A young man in his early twenties, dressed in a black and gold trench coat, leapt out before the wormhole disappeared. Before any of us could recover from our surprise enough to react, he raised a large, silvery blaster at us and slowly backed towards the door. He bolted quickly, leaving the door wide open in his wake. "Okay, did that actually just happen, or am I still dreaming?"

"…What?" Alivia demanded. We all turned and looked at the others, well Rani and Calla.

"Why are you looking at us?" The latter demanded, confused.

"Because when something that weird happens, it's usually either your freaky-ass tech," I nodded at Calla, "or your creepy-ass magic." He finished, looking at Rani.

"That…that's a fair point." Calla reluctantly agreed, unoffended.

"It wasn't us!" Rani snapped. "I have no idea who that was."

Before anyone could ask another question about what the hell had just happened, another wormhole, this one light blue in color, appeared barely a foot away from us. This time, two people, a man and woman about our age, jumped out.

The first was a tall, blonde haired guy, with tanned skin and a dark blue, leather suit, eerily familiar to our mission suits in style. The only differences were the lack of black pattern that had been carefully placed in each of ours, as well as a strange insignia on his chest: it was of a circle with a lightning bolt running upwards through it. The second to jump out was a young woman with warm bronze skin and long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She was wearing a black leather jacket over an emerald green shirt and black pants. Unlike her companion, she was armed with a black and blue blaster, similar to the first guy's, but smaller.

Both of them looked momentarily surprised, the girl much more so than the guy. Actually, if I were being frank, she seemed genuinely shocked, a reasonable reaction to randomly appearing in someone else's apartment. The guy, on the other hand, recovered much more quickly. "Hey, I don't suppose you guys have seen this guy we're chasing? About yay-high, black and gold trench coat?" I silently pointed towards the door, eyes wide. "Thanks!" The guy grinned, grabbed the girl's arm, and pulled her out the door in search of the trench-coated man.

"Why did you answer them?" Skylar questioned, looking at me. I shrugged, not having a good answer for what had just been an instinctual response.

"Follow them!" Chase snapped at us, racing after them.

"Our lives are so weird." Alivia muttered as she got up to follow him. Rani, Skylar, and I followed suit, chasing after our leaders.

 **Xxx**

We barely caught up to them on the street, just managing to catch sight of the girl as she turned down an alleyway. "C'mon!" Chase snapped at us, tearing off after her. As we turned the corner, we found that the two that had portalled into our penthouse second had cornered the first guy, one on either side of him. The girl had her weapon aimed, clutching it tightly, while her companion was weaponless, though if I had to guess by his uniform's similarity to many superhero and supervillain costumes, he didn't necessarily need a weapon. In between the two of them, the trench-coated guy had his weapon aimed at the guy, with his hand extended towards the girl.

"Stand down, Saturn." The girl warned, adjusting her grip on her blaster. The guy named Saturn merely rolled his eyes. "Stand down, and we'll go easy on you."

"Nice try, princess." Saturn retorted, extending his fingers. A blast of lightning exploded from his hands, aimed right at the girl. She dropped to one knee, raising one arm to shield herself. A literal shield, looking like a smaller version of Chase's plasma shield, appeared, protecting her from the attack. Meanwhile, her partner lunged at Saturn, attempting to tackle him, only for Saturn to shoot the blue-suited guy in the chest with his blaster, the shot a sharp burst of gold. The blast knocked him to the ground, stunning his briefly. The girl went to take her own shot, but this time, a flying plasma ring flew in front of her, destroying her focus. Glancing behind me, I saw Calla making her way towards us, hand reaching up to catch the plasma ring as it soared back towards her.

"You should be inside." Chase cautioned her. She gave him a look.

"Some breaks into my home, I'm defending it. Besides, you were taking too long." She reminded him. She looked at Saturn and the other two. "Look, why don't we all take a breath, talk this out? At least stop attacking each other long enough to explain why and how you appeared in our living room."

"Yeah…not feeling it." Saturn retorted, aiming his weapon at Calla and firing. Two force fields went up at the same time, one from Chase and the other from the girl, both instantly protecting the pregnant woman. Most of us looked at the girl in surprise, but before anyone could question what she'd done, Saturn raised his hand and another portal appeared. "Well, it's been a pleasure."

"No, you don't!" The guy shouted, racing after Saturn to try and stop him, but the trench-coated young man disappeared through the portal before the blue-suited guy could stop him. He barely reached us as the portal disappeared. The two strangers exchanged looks, then turned on us. "Calla, you let him get away! What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, how do you know my name?" She demanded in response. That caused both of them to freeze in their tracks.

"Yeah, okay, start talking. Who are you?" I demanded.

"Uh…" The guy looked her over, deciding how much of a threat she was. "None of your business?"

"Let's try this again, shall we?" Rani grabbed the guy by the arm and spun him around. She raised one hand, smoky slivers of darkness surrounding the clenched fist. He looked down at it, suddenly nervous. "Who are you, how do you know our names, where did you come from, and how did you appear in our penthouse?"

"And who was that guy?" Alivia added. "Why were you attacking him?"

"Well?" Rani prompted, tightening her grip on the guy's arm. He blanched, eyes darting towards the girl.

"Uh, shutterbug, you wanna take this one?" He called.

"Nah, you've got this." His friend responded. He gave her a look, and she smirked. "Hey, you said the Nyx doesn't scare you. You said you were stronger than everyone in the NLH."

"Is that so?" Rani smiled, as if it were the most interesting thing she'd ever heard. She grinned, teeth bared in almost a fearsome expression.

"You're not helping." The guy told his friend.

"Wasn't trying to." She replied, her voice fake-sweet. Chase stepped closer to the girl, eyebrows raised as he waited for either of them to answer the question. "Uh, you're not going to believe us."

"Try us." I challenged. She gulped nervously.

"Okay…Well, I'm Naomi." She said slowly.

"Naomi…?" Calla trailed off purposefully, waiting for a last name so she could do some sort of background search. Naomi hesitated, glancing at her friend. He shook his head.

"Davenport. Naomi Davenport." She clarified. She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows before continuing in a slightly nervous tone. "I'm your sister, half-sister…ish. I'm Donald and Tasha's daughter. We're from the future."

We all just stared at her. "Oh, Oliver and Dani are so going to regret missing this."

 **xxx**

"Seriously?" Bree demanded the moment I opened the front door, pushing past me immediately, while Jaden followed much slower, Noah asleep in his stroller. "Time travel?"

"According to them." Chase wasn't quite convinced yet. Bree looked at us, eyes wide, before turning to the two time travelers seated on the couch.

"You're Naomi. You're my sister." She didn't quite believe it either, judging by her tone. Naomi smiled at her.

"Yeah. Hi Bree, it's good to see you." She replied. She glanced at her friend. "This is Ben VanOver, by the way."

"People call me Aftershock." He stood up, holding out his hand to shake. Bree frowned, looking him over.

"Wait, Ben VanOver?" Jaden frowned. He glanced at Skylar and I. "Isn't that-"

"Tecton's son. That's who he claims to be." Alivia confirmed.

"It's the truth." Ben snapped, annoyed.

"I told you that you wouldn't believe us." Naomi replied, shaking her head. She glanced at Ben. "Why does this stuff always happen to us?"

"Hey, it's your whack-job family." He retorted. She gave him a look, to which he responded with a smirk.

"How would you two even meet?" Skylar questioned.

"There was a party for the tenth anniversary of Mighty Med 2.0. I got dragged along because she funded the project, and rather than sit around and be bored, all of the kids locked themselves in the cafeteria and had a food fight with the left overs." Naomi explained with a shrug.

"We kicked butt." Ben smirked.

"Yeah we did." Naomi fist-bumped Ben while keeping her eyes on us.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Chase questioned. Ben hesitated, then reached into his pocket.

"Check it out." He pulled out a phone-like device, but when he hit what I had thought was the home button, a holographic image of folders popped up from it. He selected one of the folders, which opened to reveal several photos. Ben zoomed in on one of the photos, revealing an image of Calla, Chase, Adam, Rio, Bree, Jaden, Leo, Katherine, Naomi, and six kids and teenagers, their ages appearing to range from early teens (the oldest being a dark-haired boy that vaguely resembled Jaden), to maybe four or five (another boy, with curly brown hair). Aside from Naomi and the six unknown children, everyone we did know looked much older, maybe having aged by about fifteen years, if I had to guess. "This was taken at a party about four years ago."

"What kind of party?" Jaden questioned, noticing that everyone in the photo appeared to be dressed up – the girls in fancy dresses, the guys in suits, and the children in the types of clean, nice-looking clothing that most kids hated wearing simply because they weren't allowed to run around in them.

"It was a celebration. Chase-" Ben was cut off by Naomi quickly, and painfully, stepping on his foot. "What was that for?"

"Regardless of whether or not you believe us, we can't tell you the future." She told us before sending a look at Ben. "Remember what happened when Kaz travelled back in time?"

"Future Kaz stopped Oliver from turning evil. I don't exactly see that as a bad thing." Skylar pointed out.

"Sure." The way Ben said that, it was as if they knew more than they was saying. Like there was a significant reason Naomi had pointed out my time travel adventures. And though I knew Skylar was talking about the time my future self had come back to visit us, all I could think of was of the time travel expedition that most of the others didn't know about. I'd taken the trip almost two years ago, and as far as Alivia, Calla, and I (the only ones to know about the trip) could tell, there'd be very few consequences, aside from saving the lives of a few heroes, and none of them had been bad. But if that was what Naomi was warning Ben about, and if they really were from the future…could I have really done something bad enough to be used as an example of why time travel was bad? I mean, I doubted it, but we all knew how the butterfly effect worked – one little misstep, one wrong thing said, and it could be disastrous. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but since I hadn't even accomplished what I'd set out to do, I'd been worried about how it might bite us in the butt in the future.

"If you're so worried about not screwing up the future, why'd you travel back in time then?" Rani asked. The two time travelers exchanged looks.

"Well…it really wasn't on purpose." Ben explained with a sheepish chuckle.

"It just kinda happened." Naomi agreed. Jaden chuckled at that. He glanced at Bree and Chase.

"Huh, she just happened to accidently do something weird and science-y that landed them in trouble? Oh yeah, she's definitely a Davenport." He decided.

"I can't believe Dani and Oliver are missing this." I mentioned again, wondering where the hell they were. I had no clue where they were or what they were doing, but whatever it was, no way it was as cool as this was.

"How do you accidently time travel?" Alivia demanded, shaking her head at them. Neither answered verbally, but their simultaneous glances at Calla told us enough.

"You've got to stop inventing dangerous things, Calla." I commented, taking a step back as she fixed me with a look that would rival Medusa's gaze.

"In her defense, the device was stolen. And look, it doesn't matter how we got here, we just need to get back, now." Ben mentioned, glancing at Naomi. "The team needs us."

"I'm sure they can handle one day without us. Besides, Saturn is the priority." She insisted before looking at us. "Look, I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you this: we're facing a new team of villains, Saturn's one of them, and if we're going to figure out what their endgame is, we need to capture him. Before he hurts anyone else."

"I guess we're believing them about them being from the future?" Skylar questioned skeptically. Ben sighed.

"Look, if you really don't believe us, you can test my DNA. All superheroes have their DNA put into the Mighty Med 2.0 system the moment our powers start to develop, right? My super strength came in when I was two. My DNA should already be in the system."

"We do it so that, if the heroes have specific weaknesses, we can create cures or vaccines for them so we're not scrambling in the event of an emergency." I explained when the others gave me questioning looks.

"We can have Horace test your DNA against our Ben's." Skylar agreed.

"Alright. Aftershock, go with Kaz and Alivia to Mighty Med 2.0. Naomi, I want you to stay here and tell me everything you can about Saturn, as much as you can without disrupting the timeline," Chase emphasized when Naomi opened her mouth to object, "Calla, you mind getting MISS to see if you can track down Saturn?"

"How? It's not like he's in our database or something." Skylar pointed out. Calla bit her lip for a moment, considering, then smirked.

"I've got a couple of ideas." She assured us. With that, she turned towards the hidden elevator and headed down to Mission Command without explaining her plan. Skylar, Ben, and I started to leave, but Chase stopped us for a moment.

"Oh, and Kaz?" He called. "See if you can't find out where the twins are. Something tells me we're going to need all the help we can get."

 **Oliver's POV**

"Have I mentioned that this is a dumb idea?" Dani questioned, studying her fingernails and not looking at me as she leaned against the wall.

"Several times on the way here." I assured her, twisting around in my seat. "Now sit down, Dee."

She didn't move from where she was. "I hate this, this is stupid and it's not going to accomplish anything. We should leave, like, now."

"I don't entirely disagree with you." I told her. She nodded, thinking I was about to get up and leave with her. "But if she's telling the truth, then we need to hear this."

"Yeah, _if_ she's telling the truth." Dani retorted, amused by the very idea. "Which she isn't, because she never tells the truth about anything."

"You do remember the part when you spent an entire eight months lying to me and the rest of the team, right?" I questioned, giving her a hard stare. She didn't flinch under my gaze though.

"That is exactly my point, Ollie. It's all lies." Her voice was softer, less angry and sounding as if she were tired of trying to prove this point. Before I could try to reassure her once again that we wouldn't be here long, a buzzer went off down the hall. A second later, Agent Castellano opened the door and walked my mother into the room. She was dressed in a green prison uniform, her hands restrained by power-nullifying cuffs.

"Oliver, Danica." She smiled at us as Castellano attached her cuffs to the table in front of me. Dani pointedly ignored her, continuing to study her fingernails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"You have fifteen minutes." Castellano warned us before leaving the interrogation room that Dani had managed to get us by calling in a few favors.

"You two look good. Danica, did you redo your hair?" Mom told us. I didn't need to use my telepathic link with Dani to tell that she was quickly running out of patience for our mother.

"Hey," I interrupted my mother, giving her a cold stare. "You said you had vital information for us. So talk."

 **Kaz's POV**

By time we got back, the DNA results confirming Ben's identity, the others were already deep in conversation with Naomi, Chase jotting down a list of the things they were learning about Saturn.

"Did he check out?" Chase called the moment we stepped into the penthouse.

"One hundred percent; he's Baby Tecton." I assured him. Ben gave me a look, offended. "Sorry, Adult Baby Tecton."

"It's Ben. Or Aftershock." The time traveler corrected. He sighed irritably. "I'm twenty-two, for God's sake. People seriously need to stop calling me Baby Tecton."

"Easy, VanOver." Naomi cautioned, before glancing at us. "He's sensitive."

"No, I'm not." Ben retorted. Naomi rolled her eyes, amused.

"So do you have enough proof, or what?" She questioned, looking at us. Chase sighed.

"Okay, we believe you." He assured her. He turned to Skylar and I.

"Alright, here's what we know. Saturn's electrokinetic like Dani, but much more powerful – he's electro-telekinetic as well, and apparently can use his electricity to create much bigger things than just lightning balls." Calla explained.

"Electro-telekinetic?" I asked, eyes widening. Chase sighed.

"It means that he can move things without touching them, much like my telekinesis, but through the power of static electricity instead of psychic ability." He explained.

"No, I know what it means." I retorted before looking at Skylar and Alivia, hoping they could confirm the thoughts running through my head. "Electrokinesis, electro-telekinesis, weren't those…"

"Megahertz's powers?" Ben questioned, crossing his arms. I frowned, nodding. "Saturn's his son."

"Wait, he reproduced?" Alivia demanded, shocked. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "With who?"

"Yeah, that's a mystery you guys have been trying to figure out since we first learned about him." Naomi replied.

"Okay, so what's the plan? We track him down, catch him, then send all of you back to the future?" Bree asked, glancing at Naomi and Ben.

"Yeah, about that…how do we do that exactly?" Ben questioned, turning more to talk to Naomi than the rest of us. "I mean, it was Discordia's device that accidently sent us here. We weren't planning on time travelling…were we?"

"No!" Naomi retorted.

"Well, with your family, it's hard to tell sometimes." He defended himself.

"He does have a point." Rani announced, leaning on the back of the couch behind Naomi. "I mean, how are we supposed to get them back to the future? Are we stuck with them?"

"We can _not_ be stuck here." Ben deadpanned, looking briefly panicked at the very thought.

"Well, we do have a working time machine." Jaden pointed out. Rani, Ben, and Naomi all gave him quizzical looks.

"Calla built one a year and a half ago." Chase explained. He looked at his wife. "But can it travel with three people?"

"No. It's a one-person ride, and since it can't travel across time without someone piloting it, you can't just make numerous trips." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So, not only do we have to figure out how to find and stop Saturn, but we also have to figure out how to send all three of them through time."

"Actually, about finding Saturn, I had an idea." Calla pulled out her tablet and handed it over to Ben. The screen was showing a map of the city, with two little, yellow blips flashing on it, both sitting in the center of the map. "Okay, so when I was originally building my time machine, I noticed that the Zeta fuel gave off radiation waves. Nothing harmful," she assured us quickly, noting Naomi and Ben's alarmed expressions, "but enough that I can track it."

"Okay, I'm guessing these are us?" Naomi questioned, leaning over the edge of the couch to peer over Ben's shoulder. Calla nodded in confirmation. "Shouldn't Saturn be on here?"

"He should, but he isn't." Calla confirmed, pleased that Naomi had drawn the conversation where she wanted it to go. "Which means that he must be underground, since that's the only place I wouldn't be able to track him. Which he must be in the-"

"Tunnels underneath the entire city, I know." Naomi told her. "I started mapping the tunnels a month ago with your daughter. Now, I'm familiar with the tunnels on this half of the city," she drew a line with her finger down through the map, "but she mapped this section."

"Wait, back up. Daughter?" Skylar questioned, glancing at Calla and Chase to see if they already knew about this, but they looked just as surprised as us. Naomi's eyes widened.

"Oh, crap, you didn't know the gender yet?" She smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

"Well, I guess we can cross half the name suggestions off the list." Calla mumbled to Chase.

"And that means that Hot Dog is still in the running!" I grinned.

"We are not naming our daughter 'Hot Dog', Kaz." Chase sighed.

"Wait, she was almost named 'Hot Dog'?" Ben chuckled. "Oh, I'm so going to tease her about that later."

"Don't." Naomi chided, albeit a little amused herself.

"Uh, back to the point guys?" Rani called. "It's great that, once he comes above ground again, we can find Saturn, but we still have to worry about catching him."

"And getting us back to our present." Ben added.

"Okay, we split up then. Two teams, each dealing with a problem." Chase decided. "Calla and I will stay here and work on the time travel problem-"

"I'll help too." Naomi offered. "I may not be our team's resident genius, but I did intern at Davenport Industries for a couple of years in high school."

"I'll stay behind too." Rani added. Alivia frowned at her suspiciously.

"Why?" She questioned. She shrugged.

"New spell book, new spells, I might be of some use." She reasoned. Alivia still frowned, as if she believed there was some ulterior motive to her decision, but she didn't argue it.

"The rest of us will take the tunnels." Skylar decided. "Ben, Kaz, and Bree, you guys take the north side of the city, Alivia, Jaden and I will take the south."

"Here." Naomi offered Alivia her phone. "I've got a map of that half of the city on there."

"Thanks." Alivia smiled at her gratefully before turning back to the rest of us. "Call the other team immediately if you find him, alright?"

"If he leaves the tunnels and comes about ground, we'll know immediately." Calla told us, gesturing to her tablet. "We'll call you if that happens."

"Good." I nodded in agreement. "If we can't find him in…two hours, we meet back here to come up with a new plan?"

"Agreed." Jaden nodded.

 **Oliver's POV**

"I know neither of you are my biggest fans, but you're still my children, and it's still my job to protect you." Mom began, only to be cut off by Dani's laugh.

"Fine job you're doing in here." My sister commented. I gave her a look – as much as I agreed with her sentiment, it would be better to at least hear what my mother had to say before dismissing it – then turned back to Mom.

"We can protect ourselves." I told her. She nodded.

"I know, and I am so proud of how powerful you two have become. And I'm sure Kaz and Skylar will have your backs." She replied. "However, you should at least know who you might have to deal with."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"I have enemies, darling, and some of them will try to extract their revenge through you." She told me. "There are two in particular that I'm concerned about."

"Who?" I asked, frowning.

"I don't know their names – I should, but I don't – but their father was my former boss. The original Mr. Terror."

"Argento." Dani said suddenly, remembering the name. She was looking at my mother with raised eyebrows, suddenly invested in the conversation. "Do they have powers?"

"No, but they were trained in the dark arts. They studied under a villain who called himself Dr. Wrath."

Dani and I exchanged looks. "We know someone who can get us their names if need be." Dani stated. Though Rani, Gulliver, and Chaz had been Dr. Wrath's favorite students, he'd had a wide roster of pupils. Most of them had been tracked down, but many had graduated and disappeared from the superhero world years ago, and with three decades worth of students from Villain University, it wouldn't be easy to find them. But with Rani's help, we'd at least be able to track down those who were still active in the supervillain world.

"Why did you never mention them before?" I asked.

"They wouldn't dare to come after you while I was still ruling as Mr. Terror. It would be suicide, and they both would have known it." Mom explained. "But now that I'm locked up, and I'm sure they've heard about that by now, they have nothing to fear."

"Except for the New League of Heroes and the Elite Force. We'll be fine." Dani replied.

"Why'd you wait so long to warn us?" I questioned. "I mean, it's been a year since we locked you up."

"Well, I've been trying to reach Danica for weeks now, but she hasn't been interested in speaking with me." Mom gave Dani a stern look, only for my sister to roll her eyes in response. "And I've been hearing rumors."

"What sort of rumors?" I asked, frowning.

"Someone has apparently _replaced me_ ," she scowled as she spoke, "at the top of the supervillain food chain."

"And you think it's one of them." I guessed.

"Children do tend to follow in their parents' footsteps." Mom reasoned.

"Not always." Dani replied. She glanced at me. "I'm done. I'll wait for you outside."

Without waiting for my reply, she turned and walked out the door, nodding in farewell to Castellano as she left.

 **Rani's POV**

"Okay, we've got it." Chase announced as he and Naomi re-entered Mission Command, towing in the time machine. It didn't look all that impressive in my opinion – it was essentially just a large car seat with fuel tanks strapped to the back and a control panel in the front. I frowned, noticing the labels under the buttons.

"Why is there a button labeled 'Do not touch Kaz, AJ, and/or Leo'?" I questioned. Calla smirked a little.

"I needed a way to know if one of our favorite idiots screwed around with the machine." She said by way of explanation. I nodded in understanding.

"So you included a button that you knew would be impossible for them to resist." I realized. "That's genius."

"Thank you." She smiled a little at that before crossing her arms. "Okay, I don't want to have to rebuild this if we can avoid it, so let's try and find a way to add on to the original design so it ca take three people instead of just one."

"What if we get a couple more chairs, attach them all to the same fuel source?" I suggested.

"It's not that simple." Chase replied. "The chairs are made of special material, and the calculations for the fuel are based off the weight of one person, not three."

"Not to mention, we have no guarantee that just attaching something to it will guarantee that the attachment time travels as well." Naomi added. "We'd have to seal them together in a material that could withstand the force of time travel."

"You know, I think I have a spell for that." I mentioned. "It can make something indestructible. It's not permanent, and it's certain not specific for time travel, but I think it'll do the job."

"Good." Chase nodded. "I'll go find us the parts we need."

"And I will get to work on the calculations. Hit Davenport Industries last." Calla instructed. "I'll text you how many fuel canisters to grab."

"Got it." Chase nodded. He started to head for the door. "Uh, Naomi, do you mind helping Rani with the spell? I know it wasn't built for time travel, but if you can alter it to make it fit as closely as possible to what we need, then do it. We can't risk this thing breaking up mid-travel."

"Got it." Naomi nodded. I motioned towards the elevator that led to the main floor and followed her inside. The hyperlift sped us up to the main floor, where my spell books waited. But before she could move towards them, I grabbed Naomi's arm, stopping her just outside the elevator.

"We need to talk." I told her. She sighed, as if she'd expected.

"I can't tell you about the future." She told me, pulling away.

"You don't have to give me details. I just need a little." I insisted, stepping in front of her again.

"Nyx, I can't. I'm sorry." She refused, tone hardening. "Now, let's get to work."

She pushed past me and headed for my spell books. "Please." I begged her. She stopped, but didn't turn to look at me. "I need to know how to save him."

"Spotlight." She guessed, glancing back at me. "That's who you're talking about?" I nodded. "I'm sorry, I can't."

"Please." I stepped closer to her. I sighed. "I got captured once, by Dr. Wrath, and Liam, he came for me. He didn't have to, God knows we were barely friends, but he came for me, and he saved me. I can't let him down now."

"You love him." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." I nodded, hoping maybe it would convince her to help us.

"I can't." Naomi genuinely looked like she was upset over the fact that she couldn't tell me anything. "Screwing with time could be seriously bad."

"Can't you tell me anything?" I whispered, desperate. She sighed, leaning on the table with her head bowed. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"He's alive. They all are." She murmured. She paused for a moment before giving me an apologetic look. "That's all I can say."

"It's enough." It would have to be. Liam was alive, and so were Lily, Kieran, and Taylor. If she couldn't tell me anything more, I could manage. There'd been this fear in the back of my mind for months now that we were looking for bodies, and now that I knew otherwise, it was like a huge weight had lifted off my shoulders. I took a deep breath. "Alright, let's see if we can't find a good spell to help get you guys back to your team."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Well, this is boring." I complained as we trudged through the tunnels. There had been no sign of Saturn so far, and Calla hadn't called to tell us that he was out of the tunnels, quickly making this one of the more boring missions I'd been on.

"Stop complaining." Bree rolled her eyes. She quickly increased her pace to match pace with Ben. "So I've got a question for you."

"If I tell you about the future, Naomi will kill me." He reminded her.

"No, no, it's about you and Naomi. You two seem pretty close." She mentioned. "Are you guys together, or just friends?"

"Honestly? No clue. It's complicated." He admitted, looking frustrated. "We're still figure it out."

"Been there." I chuckled, remembering how Dani and I used to be, just before we started dating. I was about to ask him if there was anything we needed to know about the future – I still remembered what my future self had once said about roaches ruling the world, that one time that my future self tried to kill Oliver, and was curious if that had come true yet – when Bree's phone buzzed. She answered it quickly.

"Hey." She greeted. She paused, listening. "Okay, what are the coordinates?"

She waited another second, then hung up. "Saturn's above ground. Calla just sent us the coordinates!"

She sped off in search of the villain, just as the coordinates beeped into my phone. Glancing at them, I realized how close Saturn was. "C'mon," I told Ben, "I know a short cut!"

 **Xxx**

"How'd you know about this place?" Ben questioned as we climbed out of a tunnel through a manhole. The manhole opened up in alley behind an old-timey arcade. Saturn was only a block away.

"I brought Dani here on a date once." I mentioned, accepting his hand up. I pushed the manhole cover back into place, then led him out of the alley onto the main street. "Now, Saturn should be around here somewhere…"

"Found him." Ben said instantly, pointing at the sky, where a lightning blast shot into the clouds from below. We exchanged looks, then raced towards the source of the blast.

 **Oliver's POV**

"She certainly is angry with me." Mom observed as the door shut behind Dani.

"She sacrificed a lot to take you down. She has every right to be angry." I defended my sister. "I should go to though. Thanks for the heads up about Argento's children."

"Oliver, wait." Mom stopped me as I started to get up. "I know I haven't always been the perfect mother. But you need to listen to me: don't underestimate them. They've had nearly sixteen years to hate me for what I did, and they were old enough to understand exactly what happened to their father. They're older than you, more experienced, don't take this threat lightly."

"We won't. Thank you." I offered her a thin smile, before starting to head for the door. I opened it up, then paused in the doorway. "It's good to see you, Mom."

"You too, darling." She gave me a smile, and I walked away.

 **Xxx**

"Do we believe her?" Dani questioned when I got to the car we'd borrowed from the various vehicles Davenport had left at Mission Command for us to use.

"I don't know." I admitted, putting my hands in my pockets as I leaned against the car. "I mean, it could be a real threat. And if she's right about there being a new top dog in the villain world, then it could be related to the others' disappearances."

"I don't know, Ollie. This could all be an excuse just to see us again." Dani reasoned.

"Maybe. Would have been easier to figure that out if you hadn't been snarking at her every chance you got." I mentioned, glancing at her. She didn't answer. "You alright?"

"I hate her." She declared, frustrated.

"She's our mother." I reminded her. Even after everything we'd been through with her, even I couldn't say I hated my mom. She raised us, without Dad, and everything she did had been for us. She may have been a bad person, but she'd never been a bad mother to us.

"I don't care. I hate her." Dani insisted, turning to me. "She has ruined my life."

"That's a little bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" I asked, giving her an amused smile. She shook her head, crossing her arms.

"I risked everything to stop her. Going undercover, stopping her like that, I lost the team's trust, I lost Kaz, I…" She sighed. "I know those decisions were mine, not hers, but if she'd just…been a good person, none of it would have ever happened."

"But then we wouldn't have powers, we wouldn't be part of this team, probably, you never would have joined the New League of Heroes." I reasoned.

"Alivia strong armed me into the last one." Dani pointed out, losing some of her anger.

"I'm kinda glad she did – I was worried about you, being on your own like that." I told her. She gave me a grateful smile. "Besides, I thought you liked it there."

"Oh, I love it there. I love working with Liv, and Lily, and Liam. Even Rani. But…I don't know. I just miss how it used to be, sometimes." She sighed.

"You don't have to leave, you know. After we find the others, you could stick around." I suggested. "We'd all love it. Kaz included."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Stop it."

"What?" I feigned surprised. She gave me a look.

"Kaz and I have both moved on." She insisted. I raised an eyebrow, not saying anything. "We have!"

"I believe you." I really didn't. I knew how long it took Kaz to stop being so upset about Dani leaving, and I knew his recent problems with Jessica wasn't just Jess overreacting to Dani's return. He hadn't said anything about it, but I could tell his mind was more focused on Dani than it should have been. And it was hardly a secret that Dani had been disappointed to see that Kaz and Jess were still dating when she returned. There was a running bet among the team about whether the two of them would get back together, and even though I hadn't put money on it like the others, I had a feeling I knew which side would win in the end.

"Okay, so what do we tell the others?" Dani questioned, not so subtly changing the topic. "I don't believe her about this, but I think we have to tell them. I don't want them thinking that we're having secret meetings with Mom again. I've just earned their trust back."

"This won't make them not trust you, Dee. But I think you're right about telling them – that way, if Mom's right, we'll prepared, and even if not, there won't be any secrets." I agreed. I pulled out the keys to the car, only to have Dani take them out of my hand. "Dee!"

"Hey, you drove up here. Besides, it's a Lamborghini, Ollie. It may be a Lamborghini SUV, but it's still a Lamborghini. And driving one is on my bucket list." She declared, walking around the car to climb in on driver's side. Chuckling, I opened the passenger side door and climbed in.

 **Kaz's POV**

Ben and I raced around a corner to find Bree already facing off against Saturn, the two of them fighting in front of a bus station (I guess he'd been trying to get out of town before Ben or Naomi could track him down). Maybe fighting was the wrong word for what they were doing – it was more like a game of cat and mouse. Bree would speed around either side of the villain, too fast for her to be hit by any of his blasts, then she would try to lunge at him. Saturn was smart though, and perhaps experienced with fighting speedsters, as he knew when to shoot his electricity. Though he never managed to hit her, he was keeping her at bay expertly, the blasts carefully aimed to keep her from ever landing a punch of her own.

"Hey, Saturn!" Ben shouted, leaping at him. He soared through the air, not exactly flying, but staying midair long enough that I suspected that there had been some extra, possibly super, strength in his leap. He twisted at the last minute, anticipating the lightning bolt that Saturn instinctually threw at him, and landed on the ground gracefully. He kicked out a leg, intending to sweep Saturn off his feet, but Saturn side-stepped the attack before kicking Ben in the face. Ben stumbled back when the blow hit, but Bree took the opportunity to race forwards, slamming into Saturn at her top speed. Saturn dropped to one knee, winded by the sudden blow, but quickly recovered, raising one hand and sending out a shot of electricity. It wasn't a lightning blast though, and this 'attack' seemed to wrap itself around Bree, physically lifting her into the air and throwing her into Ben, who had just gotten back to his feet. They both fell back when Bree hit him, leaving me to deal with Saturn solo until they recovered.

I threw my hands out, shooting a ball of fire, about the size of a basketball, at Saturn's head. Figuring that he would deflect it or simply avoid it, as he had been with Saturn and Bree's attacks, I leapt into the air after the fireball, flying towards him. As expected, the fireball was shot with one of Saturn's own lightning blasts, the two attacks cancelling the other out. But I was right behind the fireball, and close enough to land a heavy punch to Saturn's jaw. The blow knocked him to the ground, but it wasn't enough to incapacitate him. The second he hit the ground, he slammed his fist into the ground, and a wave of electricity ran across it. Because I'd made the mistake of landing after the punch, the shock ran through my body, dropping me to the ground instantly. "Ah!" I shouted in pain, landing flat on my back.

"Hey, Trench Coat!" Bree shouted, suddenly back on her feet, apparently far enough from Saturn that the electrical wave didn't affect her. She raced towards him, changing direction last minute to leap at the brick wall instead. She bounced off of it, moving so fast that she looked like a blur in the sky, and leapt at Saturn. He raised his hands, using his electro-telekinesis to catch her midair again. But, if Ben's silent approach was anything to go by, that had been the plan. I pushed myself up, my hands behind my back, and kicked my legs out at the villain, twisting my feet up in his to trip him up. He dropped Bree to try and deal with me, but that was when Ben attacked. He lunged at Saturn from behind, tackling him to the ground.

"Here!" Skylar came out of nowhere, racing forwards and dropping to her knees next to Ben and Saturn, a pair of power-nullifying cuffs in her hands. She quickly restrained the criminal, then nodded at Ben to let him know it was safe to get off of him. Ben rolled off of Saturn, dropping to the ground next to me.

"Took you guys long enough." I commented, teasing, as we got to our feet.

"Well, it's not like we were looking for him on the other side of town or something." Alivia commented sarcastically.

"Guys, it doesn't matter." Jaden told us, lowering his blaster. "We got the guy, right? That's the important part."

"Yes, it is." Ben agreed before bending down to address Saturn. "We're going to have a nice little chat when we get home about you and your little friends, aren't we?"

Saturn didn't respond, instead silently glowering at all of us. "I think he's looking forward to that chat." Alivia smirked, crossing her arms.

 **Rani's POV**

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. I'd just barely gotten Naomi to give me a little more information on the others, but she was being extremely vague about everything she was saying, trying to avoid spoiling the future. Before she could answer, though, Chase announced that he and Calla were done filling up the Zeta fuel canisters.

"And you're sure we have enough fuel?" Naomi asked as she helped Chase secure the extra fuel canisters to the additional car seats he'd added to the time machine. Now, three seats were back to back in the shape of a triangle, a large, central fuel canister in the middle. Only one of the seats had a control panel though, preventing the machine from getting confused by multiple orders.

"I'm certain. Based on the approximate weights that you gave me for you, Ben, and Saturn, along with the date you're trying to get to, you should be perfect. There's extra fuel too, just in case one of the variables are incorrect."

"Thank you." Naomi told her sister-in-law, smiling at her just as one of the tunnel entrances slid open.

"Look who we've got!" Kaz announced as the others walked in, dragging Saturn in. The electrokinetic looked like he wanted to run, but with Jaden's blaster aimed at his chest, and Ben walking close enough to subdue him if needed, he wasn't going anywhere.

"Nice." Naomi smiled at Ben, eyes alit with excitement. "This is perfect. We can finally get some information out of this guy."

"And just in time too; the time machine is ready." Chase announced. "We've altered it to seat three, Rani's spell will keep it secure, and you have enough fuel to get back to when you're going."

"Sit down." Jaden gestured at the seat with his blaster, looking at Saturn. The villain scowled, but did as he was told, glaring at us the entire time.

"So, back to the present, I guess?" Ben glanced at Naomi. She nodded, then turned to us.

"Thank you. For helping us get back, and for helping us get Saturn. You have no idea how long we've been trying to capture this guy."

"Anytime. You're family." Bree smiled, giving Naomi a quick hug.

"Stay safe. And try to stay out of trouble a little than we did." Chase chuckled, also hugging her.

"Yeah, neither of those are very likely to happen, but I'll try my best." She promised.

"Good luck with…everything." Ben told us.

"I assume you're talking about our missing friends?" Skylar guessed.

"And other things." Naomi added, glancing at Ben. "Don't worry, it'll all work out."

"Mostly." Bed added.

"Dude!" Naomi snapped, slapping his arm.

"I'm sure we can handle whoever took them. Whom, I suppose, you're not allowed to tell us the identities of?" Alivia tried. Naomi and Ben both responded with apologetic looks. "Well, it was worth a try."

"Good luck." Naomi wished us, climbing into the 'driver's' seat of the time machine.

"You too." Calla replied, nodding at Saturn as Ben got settled. We all waved as Naomi activated the time machine, told it where and when to bring her, and three of them disappeared.

"Well, today was weird." Kaz announced, as if it needed saying.

"Yup." Calla agreed, nodding. She frowned. "I'm never getting that time machine back, am I?"

"I hate to interrupt, but Miss Dani and Mister Oliver have returned and are requesting that everyone meet them in the living room." MISS announced suddenly.

"Figures, they get back from wherever they went just after all the fun is over." Bree sighed. She knelt down next to Noah, who had been playing on his blanket while Calla, Naomi, Chase, and I worked on the time machine, picked him up in her arms, and then led the others towards the elevator. Alivia started to follow them, but I stopped her.

"We'll catch up in a minute." I told them. When they were gone, I turned to my leader. "So, I talked to Naomi."

"I figured. What did she say about Liam, Lily, and the others?" She questioned.

"They're alive." I promised. She smiled at that, relieved and thrilled with the news.

"Did she say anything else?" Alivia asked. I hesitated. "What is it?"

"At first she wouldn't say anything, but I asked her again when Calla and Chase were filling the Zeta fuel tanks." I bit my lip. "And she finally said something, but it was super weird and vague and kind of ominous."

"Oh, my favorite type of news." Alivia replied sarcastically. She sighed. "Tell me."

"She said…she said not everything is how it seems. That we can't trust him." I frowned, still confused by Naomi's words. "I asked her to elaborate, but then Chase finished putting the Zeta fuel back in, and then you guys got her with Saturn, and…"

"Can't trust him? Who's him?" Alivia questioned. I shook my head helplessly. "One of the team? Someone else?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "I just don't know."

"Alright." Alivia bit her lip, considering this. "Alright, don't tell anyone about that. We don't want to worry them prematurely, and it'll just make them paranoid. We find out more, at least narrow down who 'he' could be, then we go to them, alright?"

"You're the boss." I agreed, still thinking about Naomi's words.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright, so tell me, what did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed seeing Ben and Naomi – they're two of the stars of the next story I've got planned – as well as the chapter as a whole. I really want to know what you guys thought of it.**

 **Anyway, here's the update schedule from now on. I promise to actually stick to it this time:**

 **May 15** **th** **: The Heist**

 **May 22** **nd** **: Baby Showers and Fantasy Leagues**

 **May 29** **th** **: SHIRT**

 **Anyway, I can't wait to see you guys next week!**


	41. Museums Suck

**Kihonne: Okay guys, are you ready for The Heist? I know I am, but first, I want to talk about that little contest I mentioned last time. Okay, so this time, I'm thinking of having a trivia quiz. I'm going to ask you guys five questions at the end of every chapter, and you guys are going to either going to answer the question in a review or a PM. You'll have one week, or until the next update to answer, as I'll be revealing the answer of the question. The three people with the most right answers will get one of three prizes. In the event of a tie, I will be pulling names out of a hat, so it'll be completely fair. I warn you though – these questions won't necessarily be easy. Oh, and remember, you need to review under an account that I can PM in case you win, or PM the answers to me directly. Anyway, I'll have your question at the bottom of the chapter. For now, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad I'm back too – I hate when school gets in the way of writing, because it really is my favorite thing to do. I'm glad you liked the chapter, Naomi and Ben especially (I'm really looking forward to having them star in Legacies). As for the Kaz time travel story, you're going to see more of that. It definitely affected some things in this season, and it's really going to shock him and the rest of the team when they find out. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you like this one too.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and the little message Naomi gave Rani – I'm pretty sure that's going to throw a lot of people for a loop until I reveal that little twist. I'm glad you like Ben and Naomi too, they're certainly going to be a fun couple to write. Thanks for understanding about school, by the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks! :)**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked it so much! I think most people ship Ben and Naomi already, and I'm really glad about that because it'll just make things so much more interesting for you guys when I finally show them on screen. Especially since that adventure took place in the middle of Legacies rather than the beginning, so you guys will be able to see how they got to that point in their relationship, as well as what happens after. As for Argento's children, I'd say that's a pretty good guess. It would be exactly like me to just randomly kill off a character we all love, wouldn't it? No, don't worry, they're all okay…for now. As for Naomi's hint, it's possible that she could have been talking about him, but really, she could have been talking about any guy. Maybe he's one of the kidnapped heroes (Kieran's namesake would like me to remind you that that Liam's not the only male hero who's been taken), or maybe one of the team, or another male character we have (or possibly haven't) met. You have some good theories, and I'm not saying any of them are wrong, but I'm not saying any of them are right either. I will add, though, that you'll be seeing plenty of Faith and Miles pretty soon, same with AJ. Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter as much as the last!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Rani: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns her OCs, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Bree's POV**

"C'mon Noah, you can do it. Just say 'Calla'." Calla encouraged my seven-month-old son, sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of him. Jaden was beside the two of them, simultaneously trying to convince him that 'Dada' should be his first words. I watched them in amusement, knowing that when Noah felt like talking, he would say something, and no amount of effort from his father or aunt could convince him otherwise.

"Thanks for the help with dishes." I mentioned to Chase as I handed another one to him to dry. He smiled, taking it from me.

"Well, you made dinner." He reasoned. He nodded at Noah. "Any guesses what his first word is going to be?"

"Not sure, but if he's anywhere close to being as weird as the rest of his family, it won't be Mommy or Daddy, I can't tell you that." I replied, laughing a little. He chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"So, Bree, you nervous about this weekend?" Calla asked, leaning back on one hand to look up at me. I shrugged.

"I guess?" I probably should have been – this was the first time I'd been allowed to manage one of the exhibits at the museum, and with all the preparation I had to do in time for the art exhibit's opening on Saturday, it should have been nerve-wracking. It would have been to anyone else, I supposed, but after fighting both bionic and super-powered criminals for years now, I guess there wasn't much that could faze me. "You guys coming?"

"Arts not really my thing." Chase told me. "But I'm sure it'll be great, Bree. I know how much hard work you put into this."

"I'll be there. Skylar and Alivia are coming too – we might even drag Rani with us." Calla mentioned. "We invited Kaz and the twins, but they said they had plans."

"Speaking of Kaz," I turned around to look at the others, "has anybody seen Jess lately? Like, are they still together?"

"God knows." Jaden shrugged.

"They got into a fight a couple of weeks ago, she's hasn't been around the penthouse since." Chase mentioned.

"They did go out a couple of nights ago though, so I think they're still together." Calla reasoned, smiling widely as Noah reached for her. She pulled him into her lap, laughing a little as he immediately grabbed at her face. "I just think she's avoiding the penthouse because of you know who."

"There's going to be drama there, I can tell." Chase sighed.

"I can't wait till your baby shower, Calla, when they're both in the same room as each other." I commented. She rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it." She agreed.

"Hey, Chase, do you have plans on Saturday?" Jaden asked suddenly, glancing up from his phone.

"No, why? Are you skipping Bree's exhibit too?" My brother asked, surprised.

"I'm giving him a private tour the night before." I replied, smirking a little. Jaden chuckled at that.

"Uh, yeah, and I had this idea. You heard about the annual Centium City Robot Throw Down?" He asked. Chase frowned and shook his head. "It's one of those fighting robot competitions."

"Oh, cool. They used to have some in Mission Creek – Leo and Mr. Davenport would enter every year." He mentioned. "I didn't know Centium City had one."

"Well, to be fair, we're usually pretty busy fighting Roddisieus or Mr. Terror or some other crazy villain person this time of year." Jaden reasoned. "So, you interested? I mean, I've always loved the fights, so I know what to expect, and with your brains, we can build a kicka…kick-butt," he stopped himself, noticing how Noah was staring at him with huge eyes, "robot."

"Yeah, I'm in. We can start working on it tonight." Chase grinned. He put down the dish he was drying. "I think I've got some material back in Mission Command; we can head over there now."

"Sweet." Jaden jumped to his feet, reaching for his jacket. The two of them kissed Calla and I goodbye respectively, then headed out the door, already talking names for the robot. I chuckled, watching them go.

"Boys and their toys, am I right?" I teased. Calla laughed at that, the two of smiling widely when Noah laughed as well.

 **Xxx**

"Wow, look at this turn out." I turned around, smiling when I saw Skylar, Rani, Alivia, and Calla walking towards me, all of them holding brochures for the art exhibit.

"I know, right? Thanks for coming." I told them.

"Of course, this is incredible. I'm proud of you." Skylar replied, pulling me into a hug.

"I really just came because Alivia threatened to put me on kitchen duty if I didn't. Museums sucks." Rani commented before stepping away to examine one of the abstract paintings on display.

"Well, uh…at least she's honest." I glanced at Alivia. She shrugged. "Is she alright? She's been off since Naomi and Ben left."

"She's just worried about the others." The redhead assured me. "The sooner we find them, the better."

"Of course. We haven't stopped looking." Calla promised her. "But we can't do anything until we get a lead on who might have taken them. How's Rani doing with that spellbook?"

"Well, she was hoping that the more ancient spells would have better luck on tracking them down, but so far, we have nothing. I think she mentioned that she was going to try to find a spell that could locate the 'dead zones' that her magic can't find."

"That'll narrow down the list; we'll actually have an idea of where they could be." Skylar realized. Alivia nodded.

"Exactly. Normally, I would have let her keep working on this, but…" She glanced at her teammate. "She's been at this for days, and I'm worried she's going to overdo it trying to find them. She's going to burn herself out if we can't find them soon."

"We'll keep an eye on her." I assured her. Suddenly, Calla frowned.

"…the hell is she doing here?" She muttered, suddenly walking away from us. Following her gaze, I saw that she was looking at a tall girl, with a sable brown pixie cut and a dark green leather jacket. "Faith!" Calla called, catching the girl's attention. The short-haired girl beamed upon seeing our resident genius.

"Calla!" She immediately pulled Calla into a hug. She pulled away quickly, stilling beaming. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

"It's Bree's exhibit, and I live in Centium City." She explained as Alivia, Skylar, and I walked over.

"So do I." Faith smirked.

"Since when?" Calla demanded, confused.

"A couple of hours ago." Faith chuckled lightly. "I got transferred for work, and I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, trust me, it is." Calla reassured her. She turned to us. "Bree, Skylar, you guys have already met. Alivia, this is my cousin, Faith. Faith, this is our friend, Alivia, and that," she swiveled and gestured at our umbrakinetic friend, "is Rani."

"Hi." Faith grinned at them in her signature, over-enthusiastic grin. "So, Bree, this is your exhibit? I didn't know you were working at a museum."

"Yeah, I started last year. It's been fun." We all started chatting for a while after that. I kept having to leave the conversation abruptly – I needed to make sure things were running smoothly, after all – but I heard most of the conversation. Faith's job, working in a prestigious research lab, had just transferred her to the city, and she was moving into an apartment downtown with her boyfriend. After about an hour, Faith's phone went off.

"Oh, crap." She sighed, reading the message before looking at us apologetically. "Miles' flight arrived early. I have to go pick him up. Maybe we can grab dinner, the lot of us, sometime?"

"Even better, we're holding a baby shower for Miss Big Belly over here," I teased Calla, hand on her shoulder, "next week. You have to come."

"Hell yeah! I'm going to pick out the great gift for my baby second cousin." Faith smiled. "I'll text you, alright?"

"Bye!" We waved as she left. "Well, that's awesome. I missed Faith; we didn't hang out that much when we got older, but we used to be close when we were little kids." Calla smiled, glancing at her watch before scowling. "Damn, we have to go too."

"What, why?" I asked, disappointed.

"We promised the guys that we would come check out the robot fight, and it's going to start any minute." Skylar explained.

"We'll stick around." Alivia offered, glancing at Rani. Obviously, she was hoping that the art gallery would be much more relaxing for the witch than a robot fight.

"Okay. I'll walk you guys out." I offered. I started walking them towards the front entrance of the museum, but just as we entered the lobby, eight men all in black pushed their way through the doors, rifles in their hands.

"Everyone, on the ground, now!" One of them shouted, aiming his weapon at a nearby civilian. Skylar and I immediately tensed, ready for a fight, but Calla's hands on our wrists stopped us.

"Stop, stop!" She hissed. "Eight of them, three of us – one of whom is pregnant and not armed – and plenty of civilians, in a small room. That doesn't end well, no matter how things go."

"What do you suggest then?" Skylar hissed.

"Wait, play hostage, until we get a real chance to take them out." Calla whispered, even as we slowly dropped to our knees along with the other civilians in the room. "They're probably here to steal some of the arts and relics; they'll be distract, split up, and not expecting any of the hostages to fight back. The odds will be better, and there won't be as much chance of civilian casualty."

"What about Rani and Alivia?" I reminded them, watching as some of the men split down different hallways to check for more civilians in the building.

"Hopefully, they'll have the same idea. They're smart, they know that a fight like this is not one they'll win. At least, not without revealing their powers to the world, or possibly getting civilians hurt."

"I hope you're-" Skylar broke off when the sound of gunshots, coming from the same part of the museum we had just been in. Skylar turned to us, pale faced. "You were saying?"

 **Chase's POV**

"This is awesome." I grinned, looking around at all the competing robot teams. There were twenty-four teams in total, all ready to compete. A couple of them were already in the fighting dome – The Macho Destroyer VS The Terror Razer – and though we hadn't seem them yet, Jaden and were heading towards the dome to see the last few minutes of their fight. We wanted to see what we were up against, to see if our robot, Monster's Nightmare (I'd wanted to name it something more simple, like Daven-Parker or something, but Jaden insisted that it had to be a scary name) had a chance.

"C'mon, Chase." Jaden grinned, excited, as he pushed his way through the crowd to get to the side of the ring. But the moment he got there, he cursed, upset by something I couldn't yet see. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What's wrong?" I demanded, even as I ran up beside him. The robots were still fighting, but it was obvious that one of them was definitely in the lead – with it's razor sharp blade and faster than expected reflexes, the robot was easily avoiding the smaller robot's attempts to body slam it. The robot, Terror's Razor according to the name painted on the back, was slowly but surely chopping its opponent into bits.

That wasn't the problem though. Sure, it had a strong blade, but our robot was too durable for that to be a real concern. No, the real concern was who was controlling the robot.

"Hey guys!" Kaz waved at us from where he, Oliver, and Dani were all huddled around the robot's controller, Oliver controlling it while Dani told him what to do.

"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered.

 **Bree's POV**

"Sit." One of the men gestured at where they had gathered about a dozen hostages. Calla, Skylar, and I all slowly sat down, watching them.

"I'm sure they're alright." Calla whispered, though her tone gave away her worry. I glanced at her, not quite sure if I believed it. "Okay, time for a plan. Bree, is there a panic button or a silent alarm around here?"

"Behind the counter." I nodded at the counter at the entrance before glancing at the receptionist, Maddie. Waiting until she noticed my stare, I mouthed the words 'Did you hit the button'? at her, praying she would understand. Though she did understand what I was saying, the sad shake of her head killed our hopes that the police were already on their way.

"Damn it." Skylar muttered.

"It's alright. When they remove a painting, an alarm's going to go off, and without any of us to shut it down, it'll contact the police in under a minute." I whispered, eying the men carefully. "Assuming that they take the ones on display. If they take some from storage instead…" I trailed off, knowing that the weren't any alarms back there, aside from the ones on the door. Usually, there'd be security guards watching them, but I had the feeling that they would be brought out here like the rest of us.

"Well, we can't wait for them either way." Skylar hissed. "We should…"

She trailed off as a few more hostages were brought into the room, including a violently struggling red head. We waited, but there was no sign of Rani. "What happened?" One of the men demanded, approaching one of the ones who had just come in. "We heard gunfire."

"A girl tried to play hero. She didn't give us a choice." The man replied. He gestured at Alivia, who was still being restrained by one of the men. She was bleeding from the corner of her lip, though she paid the injury no mind as she glared hatefully at the man. "Her friend here was a little easier to take down."

"Cuff her to the post." He instructed, gesturing at Alivia. She fought against them, but it was no use, and soon she found herself handcuffed to a handrailing. The man turned back to the one who'd hurt our friend. "Control them. We don't want any more casualties."

The men separated, some guarding us while others made their way over to the back, where some of the art work was stored away from the public. I glanced over at Alivia; now that the men had left her, she looked less angry and more upset, worried. But the expression on her face wasn't what I'd expect to see from someone who'd just lost a member of her team. No, there was more determination, less grief in this gaze.

'Rani?' I mouthed at her, confused. Alivia didn't respond, her eyes locked on one of the guards. At first, I thought perhaps she hadn't seen me, but then her lips quirked upwards into a smirk, just for a brief second, and she nodded slowly before meeting my gaze.

 **Chase's POV**

"What are you guys doing here?" Dani questioned as they walked up to us.

"We're competing." Jaden replied, holding up our robot. "How come you guys didn't mention that you were?"

"We didn't realize it was a big deal." Oliver shrugged. "We kinda just saw a commercial for it on TV."

"And we were like, that mindless destruction looks fun, let's do it." Dani beamed, bouncing between her feet. "Besides, I thought we could use a break everything that's been going on."

She and Oliver had seemed pretty bothered by the visit with their mom last week, it did make sense that they were looking for a way to forget about everything for a while. "This isn't going to be a problem, right? Us competing against each other?"

"No way. You're just another team to beat." I replied. Kaz smiled in confusion.

"To beat? What, you think your crappy robot can beat ours?" He laughed at the prospect.

"It most certainly can." I snapped defensively. Dani laughed.

"That's just a fantasy, boys." She teased, smiling. "We can kick your butts in our sleep."

"In your dreams." Jaden retorted. She smirked.

"Yeah, that too." She replied confidently. Jaden opened his mouth to object, then, realizing how easily she tore apart his last retort, he glanced at me for help.

"Guys, it's all for fun. May the best team win." I offered my hand to Oliver. He shook it, smiling.

"You know that's going to be us, right?" He asked.

"We'll see." I replied, smirking. Just then, a voice came on over an intercom.

"Would robots Monster's Nightmare and Black Death head to their sides of the field?" It requested.

"Good luck." Kaz smirked at us as we passed them by.

"We have to kick their butts." Jaden told me as we headed for our area.

"Definitely." I agreed, pulling out my phone. I intended to text Calla, who'd promised to be here when our first battle started, but was disappointed to find that I didn't have any signal. It wasn't much of a surprise, given that this part of town was notorious for having crappy signal, though it was disappointing.

 **Rani's POV**

Getting shot sucks. I mean, it could have been worse. When I'd charged at the guy with the gun, I'd failed to realize that there was another just around the corner, and I'd just barely managed to create a shadow between me and the speeding bullet before it hit me. It had blunted the blow, not enough to stop it, but I was sure that if I hadn't been able to raise that shadow in time, I wouldn't still be alive.

Still, it sucked. I was bleeding a fair bit, though not enough for me to prioritize over dealing with the criminals that had taken the museum visitors hostage. Alivia knew I was alive, of that I was sure: though I'd gone limp at first, and things did go white for a very brief second after I'd been shot, I'd managed to give Alivia a sign – a quick, very rude gesture with my finger, directed at one of the gunmen – that I was still kicking. Surely by now, the others had been reunited with her and were coming up with some sort of plan. I just had to figure out how to help.

Rolling my head across the floor to look around the room, I realized that the gunmen had left me alone. They must have thought I was dead. I could still see them, heading down another hallway. Judging by their path, they were heading away from the hostages. So, either I could go join the hostages, and try to take out the guards there with the rest of the others' help, or I could try to find a way to get help without putting myself in more danger. Normally, I wouldn't even hesitate before going after the gunmen, but the agonizing pain in my lower left side was more of enough of a motivation to not do something so reckless.

Okay, new plan, contact Dani and the others. I couldn't call them, even though that would be the easiest way. My phone had been in my hand when the gunmen had come in, and I'd dropped it in the middle of everything. I could see it from here, lying discarded face-up a few feet away, but the screen was cracked, the image of the text I was sending Alan half black.

Uh…what should I do now? Right, there was a security office around here. I remembered seeing it when Bree had brought us on a private tour of the building a few weeks ago. If I could get there, then I should be able to call for help. And there should be security cameras that would allow me to check in on the others.

I sucked in a deep breath, then looked around as best as I could from where I'd fallen, trying to re-orientate myself. Once I was sure of where I'd have to go, I took another deep, steadying breath, and slowly sat up. I gasped in pain, feeling the movement tear at my wound. Pressing my hand against my side, I could already feel the blood flow slowing. The bullet was still inside me, but I wasn't sure if removing it was a good idea. Alivia had gotten Dani to go over emergency first aid with all of us, and though I hadn't paid much attention to her when she talked (to be fair, none of us did, and if we were ever injured, there was Mighty Med 2.0. that we could go to), I did remember her saying that removing a bullet in the field was generally a very stupid idea. So, I put as much pressure on the wound as I could stand, prayed that the bullet wouldn't move around very much, then attempted to raise myself to my feet.

It took more tries than I'd hoped it would, and I had to use the wall as a support more than I would have liked, but eventually I managed it. Now I just had to find that damn security office – easy as pie, right?

 **Chase's POV**

As I predicted, our robot was far superior to anything else on the field. I admit, we might have had a bit of an advantage – Davenport Industries had created a lightweight steel that was much lighter, but more durable than anything else on the market and though Calla had released it a few months ago to the public, it wasn't cheap to come by. It wasn't cheating to use it, not at all, but it certainly made it harder for the other robots to destroy ours. Not to mention, Jaden was surprisingly good at this, weaving in and out of the enemy's reach with ease as he dodged and lunged at them. Within minutes, any robot that went against us could no longer battle, either too damaged by the sharp spikes placed at the back of the robot or from being slammed repeatedly into the cage wall.

It wasn't much of a surprise to us when we made it to the final four. Kaz, Dani, and Oliver had made it as well, along with a twenty-year-old with a t-shirt that read 'three-time champion' and a robot simply titled 'DANGER', and a young girl, maybe about fourteen years old, that I vaguely remembered from the Mini Olympic competition I'd helped Bob compete in a couple of years ago. Her robot was the least threatening of them all – painted pink and purple, with eyes and a smile drawn on the front. How she'd made it to the top four was beyond me, but it didn't matter. We were going to beat all of them anyway.

"Alright, can the next challengers, Terror Razor and Princess Bloodshine come to the field?" The announcer requested. Kaz, Dani, Oliver, Jaden, and I all exchanged looks upon hearing the girl's robot's name, slightly disturbed by how dark it was for the kid.

"We got the easy win, suckers." Kaz teased us, following Oliver and Dani to their side of the field.

"Great, we have to deal with the three-time champion." Jaden grumbled, annoyed.

"Hey, if they got him, then we'd either still fight them in the end, or fight him anyway. This way, we can prove how good we are before having to fight them." I reasoned, trying to see the bright side of things.

The fight started out much like the others had, with the girl, Zoe if I remembered her name correctly, trying desperately to avoid the sharp blade they'd attached to their robot. But then something peculiar happened – Zoe's Princess Bloodshine charged at the Terror Razor, heedless of her opponents' weapon.

Kaz and the twins all smiled, clearly thinking that Zoe had just made a childless mistake and brought the blade down on her robot. At the last minute, however, the top panel of her robot popped up, creating a sort of shield for her robot. The sudden appearance of the shield, coupled with its sudden upwards movement, didn't just stop the blade from cutting into the robot. It also knocked the blade off course, the spinning razor moving upwards. Before Kaz, Oliver, or Dani could recover, Zoe pressed a button on her remote control, and a blade of her own slid out of the front of Princess Bloodshine and cut into Terror Razor.

"No way!" I heard Kaz shout in surprise, as Jaden and I cheered for the girl. Her robot made quick work of the other's robot, slicing at its side, and likely where some of its important wires were, while using her shield to protect from their blade. Oliver tried to pull his robot back, but Zoe kept hers advancing, not giving them a chance to escape. After a couple of minutes of cutting, the dread growing on our friends' faces with every passing second, the Terror Razor stopped functioning altogether, Princess Bloodshine evidently cutting through it bad enough to destroy some of the wiring.

"Princess Bloodshine is the winner!" The announcer called, and the crowd burst into applause. Kaz, Dani, and Oliver all shook Zoe's hand before grabbing their mostly destroyed robot and heading over to us.

"What was that about having an easy win?" Jaden teased. Kaz glared at him.

"I'd like to see you do better." He retorted.

"We're going to have to, if we beat DANGER." I reminded them before looking around. "Where are they?"

"Who?" Oliver frowned.

"Calla and Skylar – they were supposed to come check out the fights." Jaden explained. "But they aren't here yet."

"Well, I was going to fly up, see if I can get a good signal to call Rani – she'd love this kind of thing – so I can try them if you want?" Dani offered.

"Thanks." I smiled appreciatively at her and she nodded, heading for the exit. I glanced at the cage, where the people running the competition were cleaning up some of the pieces from Terror Razor that had come off during the fight. "I have to admit, I didn't expect you guys to be beaten so easily by a little girl."

"She was tough, okay? And that shield thing was genius." Oliver snapped, though I could tell he was only mildly offended.

"We can take her." Jaden assured him, smirking.

 **Rani's POV**

Turns out, not so easy. It was pure luck that I didn't get caught by anybody on my way there, between my slow pace and barely muted pained gasps every time a step jarred my wound. By time I got to the hallway where the security office was, black spots were swimming through my vision, and my head was starting to feel light and woozy, like that time I tried a spell far beyond my skills that required more power than I had in me. I stopped near the door, one hand on the wall and my head bowed as I tried to steady my breathing and clear my head. Once I was sure I wouldn't pass out the second I stepped through the door, I steeled myself and pushed the door open with my body.

Unfortunately, the office wasn't empty. "Who the hell are you?" One of the robbers jumped to his feet, reaching for his gun. I raised a hand, not having the time or energy to properly deal with the idiot and commanded a shadow to throw him into the wall. The blow knocked him unconscious but left me feeling woozy once again. I slumped against the door for a second before stumbling into the chair in front of the security cameras.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to compose myself before examining the security feeds. The hostages were all in the front lobby, guarded by about four men, while three of them were pulling sculptures and paintings from a dark storage room. Calla, Bree, Skylar, and Alivia were all in the lobby with the other hostages, the latter handcuffed to a pole. I could see them quietly conversing with each other, likely coming up with a plan, though they were careful to stop if a guard looked like he might catch them.

Alright, they were okay, and they were coming up with a plan. All I could do from here was get them some back up. I looked around the office, hoping that I might find a landline or something. When I couldn't find one, I dropped to my knees next to the unconscious gunman and began to go through his pockets, looking for his cell phone.

 **Chase's POV**

"C'mon DANGER!" "You've got this, Monster's Nightmare!" The crowd cheered as Jaden and I took our place at the other end of the cage. Our opponent stood opposite of us, a confident smirk on his face as he readied his robot. From the sidelines, I could see Kaz, Oliver, and even Zoe watching the match with interest.

"And…begin!" The announcer declared, and the robots burst to life.

Like the Terror Razor, DANGER was decked out with extra blades to make it more dangerous than a normal fighting robot, but that didn't faze us. No, our robot was too well protected, and as the old saying goes, a good defense is a good offense. So long as we could outlast DANGER, we could defeat him by slamming him into walls until his circuitry broke. We'd been using that strategy all day, and it had yet to fail us.

As expected, DANGER's blades were like butter knives against our stronger material, barely doing more than leaving a couple of scratches. However, unlike the other robots, this one kept coming, unbothered by the seemingly lack of success he was making. Clearly, he thought that he could eventually overtake our robot if he tried long enough.

"Have Nightmare spin around to his other side." I told Jaden, gesturing at the robots. "He's trying so hard to go forward, we might as well use that to our advantage."

Seeing what I was getting at, Jaden did exactly as I instructed. He suddenly moved our robot out of DANGER's way, and, not expecting the sudden movement, the robot jolted forward. Before our opponent could reverse the robot, Jaden had Monster's Nightmare slam into DANGER from behind, forcing him into the cage wall. The crowd burst into cheers and applause at that, knowing that we had gotten the upper hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Dani had returned in time to see that clever move.

But she didn't stop moving when she reached the others, instead racing around the edge of the cage until she was just a few feet below us. "Forfeit the match!" She called.

"What?" Jaden was so surprised by her request that he looked away from the match.

"Jaden!" I snapped as DANGER took advantage of his distraction, pushing away from us to get some distance between him and the wall.

"Damn it!" He muttered, turning his attention back to the battle.

"Forfeit, we have to go!" Dani shouted above the sound of the crowd. She looked at me, a shocking amount of seriousness and worry in her eyes for her. "Chase, we have to go."

"Jaden." I put my hand on top of the controls, stopping him. He looked between me and Dani, then looked at the announcer.

"Hey, we forfeit! We quit!" He shouted. Almost everyone in the room went quiet at those words, surprised.

"What?" DANGER's controller demanded.

"Yeah, we quit. You win. Zoe, good luck!" Jaden called. Without waiting for anyone else to object, he leapt down from the raised area we stood on, with me following right behind him. He pushed through the crowd after Dani, Kaz and Oliver following in confusion. "Please tell me there was a good reason we did that."

"The museum's being robbed at gunpoint, our entire team is inside, and Rani's been shot." Dani summarized before shooting a look back at Jaden. "That good enough for you?"

 **Bree's POV**

"Alright, now we just need one of them to come over here." I hissed to the others once we'd agreed on a plan. We all looked at the guards, contemplating how we might do this, before Calla let out a little laugh.

"Oh, I've got this." She decided. She turned to look at Maddie, then nodded at a water bottle she had in her hands. "Pass it down, would you?"

The water bottle was slowly and secretly passed down towards us, the others taking one look at Calla's swollen belly and deciding that this was not a situation she should be in and to help her in anyway possible. Calla grabbed the bottle, then after making sure none of the guards were watching us at that moment, dumped its contents all over the ground in a single splash, making sure to get her pants wet for authenticity. "Oh my God, my water just broke! I'm having a baby!" She cried loudly, her tone just the right level of dramatic panic to really get the guards' attention. They all turned towards her seconds after she slid the empty bottle behind her and took in the water and her panicked expression. One of the guards started towards her, either out of compassion or suspicion over the situation. It didn't matter his reasoning though, because the moment he was close enough, Skylar raised a hand and blasted him in the chest with one of her energy blasts.

I sped forward at that moment, lunging at one of the guard's guns, while Calla created a proton disk and threw it towards the third guard, the sharp disk slicing the front end of his weapon in half, before swinging around and flying back towards her palm, accidently destroying one of the hanging lights on its way. Alivia, meanwhile, created two duplicates of herself that, even though she was still handcuffed to the handrail, were free to fight. One lunged at the final gunman, diving low at his feet while the other flipped into the air, kicking the gun out of his hands before he could recover from the shock of seeing her powers.

Everything was going according to plan. Until it wasn't.

The third guard recovered far quicker than expected, and despite the fact that he was missing the front part of his gun, he took aim at Calla, and pulled the trigger.

However, instead of hitting Calla, a figure of a young woman, made completely out of opaque shadows, suddenly sprouted from the ground, the bullet imbedding itself in the darkness, but not passing through it. The man stared in shock and confusion, giving Calla the chance to throw another proton disk at him, this time hitting his hands. The sudden blow knocked the weapon out of his hands. Before he could retrieve it, I sped towards it, swiping it up before skidding to a start and aiming the weapon at the two gunmen, the final one currently being detained by Skylar and the two duplicates Alivia had created. "Stand down." I ordered, adjusting my grip on a gun. I'd never been particularly comfortable with these weapons – Mr. Davenport had trained us all with weapons so that in the event that our bionics couldn't be used or weren't working, we could defend ourselves with something from his vault of weapons, but while Chase had found the weapons easy to use, neither Adam nor I ever enjoyed even holding them. But they didn't know that, and for all they knew, I was willing to kill if I had to.

"Rani?" Calla questioned, looking at the shadowy figure, then around the room as if the witch might pop out at any moment. When she couldn't find her, she looked back at the shadowy figure. The figure silently pointed at a security camera in the top corner of the room.

"She's in the security room?" I confirmed. The shadowy figure gave me a thumbs up before disappearing.

"Wait, where are the other four?" Skylar demanded, realizing that several were missing from view. Suddenly, a throat cleared.

"Over here, girlie." We turned to see three of the other gunmen standing in one of the halls, weapons aimed at us. "Now, down on your knees."

"Not happening." I tensed, ready to speed forward and steal their weapons, when suddenly, a blast of fire and lightning, twisted around each other in a dangerous fashion, shot from behind me and slammed into the chest of one of the gunmen. Simultaneously, a blast of ice and plasma hit another. The gunmen who'd called Skylar 'girlie' suddenly lifted off his feet and hovered in the air for a minute before being thrown into the wall behind him, the blow knocking him unconscious instantly.

"We had that handled." Calla said, turning around with her hands on her hips as she faced her husband, my husband, Kaz, and the twins.

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Chase assured her, looking around the room. "Still, a little help never hurt."

"I suppose." Calla smiled as he leaned in to kiss her, his hands resting on her arms.

"Are you guys alright?" Jaden demanded.

"We are, Rani's not." Alivia called from beside the handrail. Her duplicates had disappeared, but she was still cuffed to the bar. "A little help here?"

"Right." Oliver nodded, rushing over to help her. I watched as he put his fingers on the cuffs, freezing them slowly, likely intending to freeze them enough that they became brittle and breakable.

"Rani was shot, not sure how bad. We think she's in the security room." I explained to the others.

"We know, she called me. She said the wound wasn't great, but not fatal either." Dani replied.

"Was that all of them?" Kaz questioned, looking at the downed gunmen. Most of them were either unconscious or restrained by cuffs (we always carried power-reducing cuffs on us, just in case of emergencies).

"No, there's one more. I'm not sure where he went." Skylar replied.

"Security room." We all spun around to see Rani leaning against the wall, hands tightly pressed against a blood-soaked part of her shirt. She gave us a pained smile. "Kicked his ass before calling you guys."

With those words, she slid down the wall, letting out a soft cry when she hit the ground. We all rushed over, Oliver and Alivia dropping to their knees beside her. "Let me see." Oliver told her, gently moving her hands to get a good look at the injury. Rani let out a sigh and looked up at Alivia, Skylar, Calla, and I.

"Told you museums suck." She teased breathlessly.

"You're hilarious." Alivia rolled her eyes before looking at Oliver. "Should we be worried?"

"It's not that deep, and it doesn't look like the bullet was jostled a lot." He glanced at Rani's face. "You got lucky."

"Yeah, that sounds like me." She agreed, blowing out a long breath before wincing. "Will it scar?"

"Probably." Oliver replied apologetically.

"Badass." She murmured, actually sounding like she liked the idea. Dani chuckled at that, and even Alivia had to bite back a smile.

"Let's get you to Mighty Med 2.0." The Irish hero decided, bending down and moving Rani's arm around her shoulder. Oliver took the other arm and the two of them lifted Rani to her feet. "We'll see you guys at home after we get this idiot stitched up."

"Idiot? I saved your asses by calling them." Rani protested, closing her eyes briefly before forcing them back open.

"C'mon," Oliver seemed vaguely amused by her as he and Skylar helped her outside. As they left, the police started filing in, the others having evidently called them on their way here. I looked around at the hostages and the downed gunmen and sighed.

"Figures. The first time I'm put in charge of an exhibit, and this happens." I complained. Jaden chuckled, putting his arm around me and kissing my forehead.

"Think of it this way: if you can handle this, you can handle any other crazy thing that happens on the job." He told me. I gave him a look. "C'mon, we should probably pick Noah up from the sitter. CeeCee and I have a bet about what his first word is going to be, and I'm going to make sure it's Dada."

 **Chase's POV**

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean that couldn't have been good for you or the baby-" Calla turned around on the elevator, giving me a look. "I'm worrying too much, aren't I?"

"Yes, but it's sweet and well-intended, so I forgive you." She promised me, kissing me on the lips. "But we are both fine."

"Alright." I kissed her back.

"Get a room." Kaz complained, reminding us that we weren't alone on the elevator.

"Or, you know, we could just get off the elevator and leave them and their disgusting adorableness here." Dani chuckled, stepping out of the elevator as the doors opened on our floor. I rolled my eyes, took Calla's hand, and followed Kaz, Dani, Skylar, and Calla towards our apartment.

"Uh…who left the door open?" Skylar frowned, noticing that the door was ajar.

"It was closed. We were the last to leave." I frowned, confused. The rest of us exchanged looks. "Calla, stay here."

"Chase-" she began to protest, but I didn't stick around to listen, instead making my way into the penthouse. Someone had definitely broken in while we were gone; I could tell by the way the furniture was flipped and all the drawers in the kitchen were open.

"I'll check upstairs, Kaz, you take Mission Command." Skylar instructed, already heading up the stairs. Kaz quickly used the hyperlift to go down to Mission Command. Despite my instructions to stay outside, Calla slipped into the penthouse behind us, a proton disk gripped tightly in her hand. I stepped close to her, unsure if the penthouse was truly empty.

"MISS?" My wife called softly. When there was no answer, she stepped forward to grab her IPad, which was lying partially under the overturned chair. She frowned when she saw that it was cracked, but thankfully, it was still functioning. "Huh."

"What?" Dani questioned as she stepped through the mess towards the kitchen area.

"She's been deactivated." Calla replied. "Someone hacked into our system."

"I didn't know that was possible." I frowned. She bit her lip.

"Neither did I." She admitted. She looked up suddenly, confused. "The TV's still here."

"So?" I asked, looking at her. "It's not exactly light; it would be hard to get out of here without being caught."

"Then why is my IPad still here? That's easy to steal and it's portable." Calla pointed out. Suddenly, Skylar came down the stairs.

"All the rooms upstairs have been tossed too, but nothing's been stolen. Not even Kaz and Oliver's PS4 or Wii." She told us.

"Someone was definitely here, but nothing's been taken as far as I can tell." Kaz's voice came on over the intercom in the penthouse. "But Calla, you might want to do an inventory check just in case."

"Wait, if nothing was stolen, who broke into our apartment? And why?" I questioned.

"I think I know." Dani spoke up suddenly. We all turned to see her standing by the desk in the corner, holding up a couple of torn up scraps of paper. "Does anyone see Rani's the grimoire? Or any of her notes or her other spell book?"

We all looked around, but there was no sign of the books. "Are you telling me that the grimoire, the only idea we had to find our friends, is missing?" Skylar said slowly, eyes wide.

"Not missing, stolen." I corrected, glancing at her. "Whoever broke in here knew exactly what they were looking for."

 **Kihonne: I think I'll leave it off on that note. Tell me what you guys thought of the chapter! I really want to know! Anyway, here's the schedule update for the next few weeks:**

 **May 22** **nd** **: Baby Showers and Fantasy Leagues**

 **May 29** **th** **: SHIRT**

 **June 5** **th** **: Abducted**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, I'll see you guys next week! I hope you liked the chapter. As for this week's question, I'll start with an easier one: in what chapter of what story do we first hear Jaden call his sister by the nickname 'CeeCee'?**


	42. Baby Showers and Fantasy Leagues

**Kihonne: Alright guys, chapter time! This time it's Baby Showers and Fantasies Leagues! But before we get onto the chapter, I have a few reviewers that deserve some shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: You are correct! We Aren't Robots is the correct answer! You have a good memory! That's 1/5! I'm glad you liked the chapter, by the way, especially Calla's little trick. As for Zoe, I'm glad you picked up on that – I never ended up doing the Robot Throw Down chapter in the Lab Assistant, and I figured that I'd borrow a little inspiration from it. I did the same with this chapter, borrowing a little inspiration from an episode of Mighty Med that never got made into a chapter. Anyway, I hope you like it.**

 **ChiefoftheGrammarPolice: Well, I answered yours over a PM, so I see no need to rehash things here. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: Believe me, if I could afford to buy the rights to Lab Rats Elite Force, I would do just that. I'm glad you like my stories though. :)**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Correct! That's 1/5 for you, my friend. Best of luck getting more! Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one just as much!**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter! Yeah, as for Bree's job, I think normal went out the window for her a long time ago. But I do feel it's important that she does have a normal job – actually, I think they all need steady, ordinary jobs in their lives, with the exception of the few that could never possibly be happy with an ordinary life, just to keep themselves from going crazy. I'm really glad you like Rani's character development. She's certainly one of my favorite OCs to work with because of it. She is definitely not going to be happy about the loss of her spellbooks. As for your questions, they're all either going to be answered in this chapter or the next, so I'm not going to comment on those. It certainly is possible that Jaden and Chase would have won, between Jaden's experience in the robot throw downs and Chase's engineering skills, but at the same time, who's to say that they wouldn't have thrown the match to a younger girl who managed to get all the way to the top without the help of a bionic brain telling her how to make her robot perfect? Please, don't apologize for a short review – this is already longer than the majority of the reviews I get, and sleep is important. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **TheRealHarrisonW: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And I'm glad you were able to rework your story. I hope to maybe read it someday :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

 **Guest: I'm glad you like his character.**

 **JadenBree4ever: I'm glad you like that Jaden's back for good now. Also, if you re-read the proposal scene, that's not why Jaden proposed. Jaden proposed because he loves Bree and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. His proposal was in no way connected to the baby – he didn't even know that she was pregnant until after he proposed. I'm glad you enjoyed the wedding though.**

 **Guest: I'm sorry, but I'm not doing anything wrong. The more coarse language used in the story is not overly vulgar, does not happen at a large rate (it's not like they're swearing if every line), and I feel that when they do swear, it is a realistic reaction for the character in question. I like to make my stories as realistic as possible in terms of character development, interactions, and reactions, and the characters have almost always used swore in situations that a normal person would swear (for example, the only time a character swears in the chapter which you reviewed on is when his father was accidently pushed off the penthouse veranda of a 110 floor building, which is a pretty reasonable response if you ask me). The characters do not swear at a large rate, only when the reaction is appropriate for the situation, and I am very careful to avoid seriously offensive words like the F-bomb. Furthermore, this is a T-rated story. T-rated stories are allowed to have some swearing in it. As much as I'd like to keep you on as a reader, if you are looking for a story without any cussing in it at all, I would suggest you look at K or K+ rated stories.**

 **Guest: Well, if you keep reading, you'll see.**

 **Curious Cat: Keep reading. I'm not going to spoil that.**

 **RISEOFSEVEN FAN: I'm glad you like it so much!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Faith: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, myself and all other OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Calla's POV**

I yawned to myself as I walked down the stairs to the main floor. "Morning MISS." I greeted tiredly.

" _Good morning, Miss Calla."_ She responded instantly. I let out a little sigh of relief; though I was confident in the system upgrade I'd given her after the latest break in, there was a tiny part of me that had been paranoid that it would happen again.

Everyone had been on edge since the break in, though I could hardly blame them. Whoever had broken in was both highly intelligent (enough that they could seamlessly hack into MISS and bypass all the fail-safes I'd built into her system) and had known exactly what they'd been looking for. The spellbooks they'd taken had been key to finding our missing friends, and their theft had led the others to believe that whoever had taken them was also responsible for their kidnapping.

I sighed. "MISS, please open the hyperlift."

" _Of course, Miss Calla."_ MISS replied. A moment later, the fireplace split in two and I stepped into the hyperlift. Seconds later, I landed on the mission command floor, my stomach turning from the sudden drop.

"God," I muttered, one hand on the wall, the other over my mouth as I tried to kill the nausea. The hyperlift had never bothered me before I'd gotten pregnant, but over the past few months, the sudden drop had made my morning sickness a hundred times worse. Chase had helped me reduce its speed significantly for the sake of protecting the baby, but it was still wreaking havoc on my stomach.

Once the nausea had passed, I headed straight for my computer desk, intending to get some work done on a new weapon I'd been preparing to use against whoever it was who was threatening us and our friends. "Wow, you got big while I was gone."

I jumped at the sudden greeting, not expecting anyone else to be down there. I swiped my plasma gun off the counter, spun around, and aimed it at the source of the voice. I stopped just short of pulling the trigger, staring at the wide eyes of a familiar fifteen-year-old boy. "AJ?" I demanded breathlessly, staring at the curly haired boy.

"Hi." He smirked at my stunned expression. I stared at him for a long moment before dropping my arm.

"AJ? What the hell are you…Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I demanded, placing the weapon down on the cyberdesk before pressing my hand against my chest, feeling my heartbeat racing. "Seriously, kid?"

"Sorry, I thought I'd surprise you guys." He apologized sheepishly.

"Not a great idea, especially not days after our penthouse was broken into. Speaking of which, how'd you even get in here?" I demanded. He opened his mouth to reply, but I raised a hand to stop him. "Actually, it's too early in the morning to hear you tell me about how a fifteen-year-old was able to breakthrough my state of the art security system. Better question: what are you doing here?"

"I'm back in town, to stay." He grinned. My eyes widened, surprised by the news. "Mom got this job back in Philadelphia, and they were opening a branch here in the city, so she took the transfer so I could go back to my old school."

"AJ, that's great." I smiled at him, pleased to hear it. Despite his habit of breaking into Mission Command, I'd genuinely missed having the kid around. It was good to get a second perspective on things, and AJ had always had a unique way of thinking of things.

"So…" AJ gave me a look and I smiled, sensing that he hadn't just come here to tell us that he was back in town. "Do you remember how you mentioned you would let me be your assistant when I was old enough?"

"Which you aren't." I pointed out.

"But you're going to give me the job anyway because you like me." He replied. I couldn't help but chuckle at his confidence.

"Okay, sure. You've more than proven yourself in the past. And besides, you're so much better than Gary; I swear, he can barely tell the difference between a proton and an electron."

"But even Kaz knows the difference." AJ pointed out.

"Precisely." I agreed. "So, the job's yours."

"Awesome." AJ grinned. "When do I start?"

"Right now. If you can break in here, so can our enemies. So you are now in charge of penthouse security." He smiled, liking the idea. "I'll come down and help you in a minute, but first, I'm going to go tell the others that you're here, so they don't have the reaction that I did. Seriously, you are lucky it was me and not Rani who found you down here."

"Rani? She works for the New League of Heroes, right?" AJ frowned. "What's she doing here?"

"It's a bit of a long story, pal, and I'll have to catch you up, but let's just say, if you'd surprised her like you surprised me, she probably would have turned you into a frog or something."

AJ frowned at that, then grinned. "Cool."

 **Chase's POV**

"Hey Dani." AJ grinned as he followed me into Mighty Med 2.0. The electrokinetic was just walking out of the bathroom when we ran into her. She looked up at the sound of her name, then smiled in confusion at AJ and me.

"AJ? You're back in town?" She asked, glancing at me, a questioning look on her face. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, but I only broke into Mission Command to say hi today." He replied. She chuckled at that.

"Breaking into Mission Command again? I take it you and Calla loved that." She teased me. I rolled my eyes. "So, what are you guys doing here?"

"Horace called Calla, told her that one of the automatic dispensers was shooting out sparks anytime someone tried to grab something to eat from it." I held up the small toolkit I'd grabbed from the penthouse. "I thought I'd fix it up for her. Besides, she's busy with the baby shower."

"Oh, right. That's today? Crap, I totally forgot." She muttered, pushing herself off the counter.

"Relax, it's tomorrow. You have plenty of time." I assured her. She sighed in relief.

"Thank God, because I totally forgot to get her a gift." She glanced towards the hospital's giftshop, considered it for a moment, then smiled. "I'll catch up with you guys later, alright?"

"C'mon, you can tell me all about Philadelphia while I fix the dispenser." I told AJ as I led him towards the cafeteria. The main part, which was manned by actual chefs, was only open until 8 at night, but since there was a number of staff that worked the overnight, Calla had installed a number of food dispensers near the front where the staff could get food that wasn't the usual junk found in vending machines. They weren't elaborate meals, just some fruit and a different flavors of ramen noodles, but it was better and more filling than a candy bar.

To our surprise, the cafeteria was full, but not of people eating. Instead, a large group of the staff, including Kaz, Horace, and Oliver, were all sitting on the cafeteria benches and tables in front of the viewing screen Kaz had insisted Calla install. On the screen was footage from SNN, showing two superheroes going after a supervillain. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the two heroes were Frostbite, a member of Alivia's team, and Captain Atomic, one of the heroes that had survived Roddiseus' attack a few years ago, and that they were fighting some woman in a crimson red uniform.

"Whoa, is she breathing fire?" AJ demanded, running forward to get a better view of the fight. Kaz and Oliver both looked confused at AJ's sudden appearance, but didn't comment on it, instead sliding over so he could squeeze in between them and one of the nurses.

"That's the Incinerator." Oliver supplied, eyes locked on Frostbite as she dived at the Incinerator, using her hands to shoot a wave of ice at the criminal. The Incinerator opened her mouth and blew a breath of fire at Frostbite though, stopping the attack in its tracks. Meanwhile, Captain Atomic took advantage of the Incinerator's distraction and used his radioactive yo-yo (because a yo-yo is definitely a dangerous weapon) to tie her legs together.

"Yes!" Horace and a couple of the doctors cheered, while a few others, Oliver among them, groaned in complaint.

"What's wrong?" I asked Oliver, confused. He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when the Incinerator burned through the rope of Captain Atomic's yoyo and turned her attack on him. But while Captain Atomic was busy trying to avoid her fiery breath, Frostbite had chosen to full-on tackle the Incinerator to the ground. Having expected the cryokinetic to blast her instead of physically attacking her, the sudden blow caught the Incinerator by surprise and Frostbite succeeded in forcing her to the ground. Before the Incinerator could attack back, Frostbite had succeeded in locking a pair of power nullifying cuffs onto her hands.

"Take that!" Oliver cheered, much to Horace's disappointed.

"Who won?" Dani called, coming into the cafeteria behind us, carrying a bag from the giftshop.

"Mels." Kaz told her. She grinned.

"Sweet! Ten points to Oliver for the win, three to Horace for the assist!" She called to one of the chefs behind the cafeteria's counter. He moved to the side, where a whiteboard full of team names, superhero codenames, and point totals were. He added the points below teams Short-Storm and BridgeMaster.

"I'm a little confused." AJ stated, speaking for both of us.

"Oh, right. Um, you ever hear of those fantasy leagues for football?" Dani asked. He nodded. "Well, since these two suck at those," she jerked her thumb at Kaz and her brother, "we created one for superheroes. So, every time one of the heroes on our team stops a villain, or helps stop a villain, or saves a life, we get points. And at the end of the year, if your team has the most points, you get to punish the losing team in any non-physically painful way you'd like."

"Ooh, that sounds fun." AJ grinned.

"Yeah. Skylar and I are currently in the lead," Oliver grinned, "and Horace's team is second place. Kaz and Dee are in last place."

"I thought you said you were good at this." I commented, glancing at the two.

"We are. But we're only allowed four heroes a team, and our team was made up of the two of us, along with Spotlight and Scarlet Ace, so…" Kaz trailed off, not needing to explain why that would put them at a disadvantage.

"How come you're only allowed four heroes a team?" AJ frowned. As he spoke, most of the nurses and the doctors began to disperse, no longer interested in the screen now that it had changed from a live feed of the fight to a report on the drop in the sales of capes over the past few years.

"Well, there's only about 30 heroes left, so we can't really pick any more." Dani explained gently.

"Why not include the bionic heroes?" I asked after studying the list of heroes. There wasn't a single bionic hero, not even Bree or myself on the list, but they'd included brand new heroes with no experience like Tempest and Temperment.

"Well…" The three of them exchanged looks before Kaz continued to answer. "Look, don't take this personally man, but bionic heroes just can't compete with superheroes on this level."

"Excuse me?" I demanded, offended.

"Hey, bionic heroes are great. When it comes to enemies with advanced tech, or armies of androids or stuff like that, you guys have got it in the bag, no doubt. But fighting individuals with enhanced abilities that comes from mutations or alien DNA or non-scientific methods that we barely understand, that's our thing. We can just do things that you guys can't." Dani explained. When she saw my face. "Oh, don't take it so personally, Chase. Bionic people are good at things too, just…we're better at some things."

"Um, last I checked, we decided that superheroes and bionic heroes were of equal strength." I reminded them, remembering the little competition we had last year to try and answer that question.

"Strength, yes. Talent though? Experience fighting people like us? Sorry Chase, but we've got you beat." Oliver explained.

"I bet you forty bucks that bionic heroes can beat your team any day." I retorted.

"Chase is right; the bionic heroes are so much better at saving the day than superheroes." AJ added.

"You really wanna put money on that?" Dani challenged. I raised my chin, daring her to bet against me. "Okay, this sounds interesting."

"How about this?" I suggested. "I'll create a team of bionic heroes, and we'll use MISS to keep tabs on them to collect points. Since your guys team is pretty much out of the running at this point, it'll be between my team and Oliver and Skylar's. The team who collects the most points in a week wins."

"And what does the winner get?" Kaz inquired, interested.

"If we win, you have to admit that superheroes are better than bionic heroes. And…" Oliver spared a glance towards Dani and Kaz. "And we each get a free upgrade to Mighty Med 2.0., whatever we want. Even if that includes a new invisible ambulance."

"What happened to the first one?" I asked, confused.

"We're not really sure." Dani admitted. "No one knows where it is."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, fine. But if AJ and I win, you have to admit that bionic heroes are better than superheroes, and bionic heroes are included in the next draft for the fantasy league."

"Deal." Oliver held out his hand to shake on it.

 **Calla's POV**

"You're here!" I smiled, hugging Faith as she walked through the door. She grinned, hugging me back.

"Well, I said I would be." She teased, pulling away.

"Sorry, it's just I'm not used to seeing you around here. I mean, aside from the occasional family gathering, we haven't really seen each other since the 11th grade." I explained, leading her into the penthouse. Skylar, Alivia, Bree, and Dani were already gathered in the living room, snacking on cookies.

"Hey guys." Faith smiled, sitting down next to Bree. "Hey, where's your other friend, Rani?"

"Oh, she's helping my brother with some things." Dani replied dismissively. In truth, she was at Mighty Med 2.0., getting stitches removed. Between her magic and the tech at Mighty Med 2.0., her bullet wound was healing nicely, enough that Horace felt comfortable removing the stitches after only a week, but she still wasn't happy about how long it was taking. Normally, she would have just used a spell from her spellbooks to heal it completely, but with her spellbooks having been stolen, she was limited to spells she'd already memorized, and without the need to use healing spells all that often, they weren't locked down in her memory.

"Oh, cool. Hey, I heard a rumor last week, something about the museum being robbed?" She turned to Bree. "Is it true?"

"Yeah, actually we were still there when they started taking hostages. You just missed it by maybe five minutes." Bree told her. Faith's eyes widened.

"Oh my God," She gasped. "I'm so glad you guys are okay."

"Yeah. We got lucky." Skylar spared Bree, Alivia, and I smiles.

"Enough of that kind of talk." I declared, not wanting to revisit the past. "So, how are you liking Centium City?"

"It's nice, actually. I've always preferred cities to the countryside anyway, though Mom insisted that a small town was better for us to grow up in." Faith replied. "And I'm loving my new apartment. You know, its my and Miles' first place together?"

"Aw, that's sweet. He's your boyfriend, right? Miles DeCook?" Dani asked. "Doesn't he work at UPSEI?"

"Not anymore. He transferred. Now he's in charge of security at the lab I work at." Faith replied, shrugging. "I know they never to work with your significant other, but I really don't see the big deal. We work well together."

"That's nice. How'd you guys meet?" Skylar asked. "You're in totally different lines of work."

"Well…did you hear about that terrorism attack at a hospital a few years ago in Philadelphia? Well, I was one of the volunteers that were helping with the cleanup, and Miles, he was actually there when it happened, cause his sister was supposed to be getting a surgery done."

"Damn, he's lucky he survived." I was surprised that he'd never mentioned being that to any of us, not even the people in the New League of Heroes. After all, that terrorism attack that Faith had told us about, well that was most likely Roddiseus' attack against Mighty Med.

"Yeah. Well, anyway, he came by the wreckage to see how bad it was – I guess it was the agent part of him that wanted to know – and he saw me helping out, and offered to buy me a coffee as a thank you, and we started chatting. And things took off from there."

"Cool. He's a nice guy." Dani gave her a smile before turning to Calla. "Alright, should we start with gifts?"

"You sound excited about yours." Alivia observed, amused.

"Well, I kinda already showed Chase, since it's for his kid too, and he said you'd love it." She declared, pushing the gift bag into my hands before I could even reply. I laughed before removing the tissue paper hiding the gift from view.

 **Chase's POV**

" _I don't get it."_ I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I held my phone up to my ear. _"You don't want us to go on missions?"_

"No, no." I reassured Logan with a sigh. "Go on missions. If people that need saving, save them. That's our job. What I mean is, if you CAN substitute for missions, send Adam, Leo, Rio, or Katherine instead."

" _And this is all for a competition?"_ He asked, still sounding uncertain.

"Yes." I insisted. I heard him sigh on his end of the line.

" _You guys are weird."_ I heard him mutter. _"But okay."_

"Thanks man." I smiled, about to hang up when Logan stopped.

" _Wait, Chase…what does this have to do with finding Taylor and Kieran? Because, well, we're all really worried about them."_ He told me, his tone soft. I sighed.

"We're looking into it, I promise. Right now, Calla's running every scan she can on MISS' system to try and figure out what IP was used to hack into her. Whoever hacked into her was at least involved with Kieran and Taylor's disappearance, if not responsible for it, so once we find who hacked in, we'll be able to find them. Alright?"

" _Alright."_ Logan sighed.

"Hey, we'll have them home safe and sound real soon, I promise." I assured him before hanging up. I looked at AJ. "Okay, so I just guaranteed that Rio, Katherine, and my brothers are going to go on the most missions, so we'll have as many opportunities to earn points as possible. What's the total at right now?"

"Twenty-three points for Team Superhero and twelve points for Team Bionic." Oliver announced before AJ could reply, walking into the hospital lobby with Kaz and even Rani on his heels. Dani wasn't with them, presumably already at Calla's baby shower. "We have almost twice as many points as you guys."

"We're catching up." I retorted. "Did you guys just come in here to brag, or…?"

"Well, actually, Jess called, said she wanted to grab coffee, so I'm out of here." Kaz replied, heading for the exit. He paused at the doors and grinned at Oliver. "Kick their butts, would ya?"

"Definitely." His best friend agreed. I rolled my eyes, watching as Kaz headed out for his date.

"We're going to win, just you wait and see." AJ told them confidently.

"Sorry, who's the kid?" Rani questioned, slowly lowering herself onto the couch.

"Uh, this is AJ, he used to work with us before he left town for a while. AJ, this is Rani. She and Alivia are staying with us while we track down our missing friends."

"Oh, are you the one that Calla says can turn me into a frog?" AJ asked. Rani raised an eyebrow, then pointed her index finger at him.

"Hocus pocus." She declared. He flinched, genuinely expecting something to happen. Rani laughed a little at that, only to stop when the movement pulled at her wound. She bent over a little, sucking a breath in through her teeth.

"What did I just tell you about taking it easy?" Oliver scolded gently. She gave him a look.

"I'm sitting down, aren't I?" She retorted. She looked at me. "I want my spellbooks back though. The sooner we have them, the sooner this heals and the sooner we can find Spotlight and the others."

"As soon as we get a lead on who broke into our penthouse, we'll have a lead on him. MISS is looking into it. For now, all we can do is wait." I told them. Suddenly, one of the candy girls, Jazz, poked her head into the room.

"Hey, thought I should tell you: Crossbow just took down a couple of idiots who tried to rob a convenience store. Twenty points for you guys, Oliver."

"Thank you, Jazz." Oliver smirked cockily. I groaned; this was not going to be easy.

 **Calla's POV**

"Oh my God, I love this." I held up the stuffed Chewbacca toy Faith had bought for the baby. Between that, the 'Superhero in Training' onesie from Dani, the 'Baby Genius' onesie from Bree, the voucher pack for 20 free babysitting nights from Skylar, and the hundred-dollar gift certificate for Babies 'R Us from Rani and Alivia, I'd gotten a lot of amazing things. "We're totally going to make a nerd out of her before she even knows what that word means, though."

"Nerds rule the world, cuz." Faith replied, leaning back with a smirk. "Besides, everyone loves Star Wars, not just nerds."

"I don't love Star Wars." Bree pointed out. The look Faith gave her was almost comical – full of distrust and contempt for that very statement. Dani and I laughed at the reaction.

"So, have you picked a name yet?" Alivia asked, curious.

"We've narrowed it down to my, Jaden, and Skylar's suggestions: Quinn, Sonia, and Emily."

"Aw, and Kaz was so hoping for it to be Hot Dog." Dani smiled. "And to be honest, the name was growing on me."

"Well, maybe you guys can name your kid Hot Dog if you ever have one." Faith mentioned. Dani paused, biting her lip. "Oh, wait, no. You guys aren't together anymore, are you?" My cousin realized, horrified with what she'd just said. "I am so sorry, I should have known better."

"It's fine." Dani gave her a fake smile.

"Hot Dog was never really an option though, right?" Bree asked, looking at me. I shook my head.

"No. Chase and I took one look at the list and immediately removed Kaz Jr. and Hot Dog from the list." I assured them. They all chuckled at the other name suggestion, amused.

"Actually, speaking of Kaz, where are the boys?" Faith inquired, curious.

"Well, Jaden's back in Mission Creek, helping his Mom move. Noah's with them; his grandmother really wanted to see him. And I think Kaz, Oliver, and Chase are all doing some fantasy league thing." Bree replied.

"I never pictured Chase as a football guy." Faith frowned.

"I think it's baseball, actually." Dani lied easily, shrugging. "It's always been Kaz's favorite sport, and really the only sport he and Ollie were ever interested in, so I assume it's gotta be that."

"Oh. Wish them luck for me." Faith smiled.

"Will do." Skylar replied.

 **Kaz's POV**

"You're late." Jessica pointed out the second I entered the coffee shop. I sighed, knowing fully well that I was supposed to meet here twenty minutes ago.

"Yeah, sorry. I totally spaced, Jess. I'm so sorry." I apologized, sitting down. "Did you already order? I can pay."

"No, Kaz. I'm fine." She told me, her clipped tone telling me that she was still upset with me.

"I'm sorry." I apologized again, hoping to smooth things over. She tapped the table impatiently, pursing her lips. "I'm getting the feeling that this is about more than me being late?"

She was silent for a moment, thinking, before she finally replied. "Did you have fun at the movies yesterday?"

"Oh, yeah." I grinned. "Infinity War was awesome."

She smiled thinly at that. "Cool."

"Wait," I frowned, confused. "How did you know I was at the movies yesterday?"

"Oh, I was across the street, grabbing a bite to eat, when I saw you walk out. I was going to go say hi, but then I saw Dani." She gave me a fake smile and it all clued in.

"Jessica, I told you that Oliver, Dani, and I always go see new superhero movies together when they're out." I reminded her. She furrowed her brow.

"I didn't see Oliver." She commented, confused.

"Probably because he went back in to grab one of those movie magazines that they hand out. He wanted to bring one back to the penthouse so he and Skylar could pick a movie for date night." I explained. "Jess, what's the big deal?"

"I'm just surprised you went to the movies with her." She commented, looking down.

"And Oliver. I went to the movies with her, and Oliver, as is our tradition, something we've been doing since we were ten." I re-explained to her. "And I would have invited you, but you've told me on four separate occasions that you don't like superhero movies."

"They're unrealistic, and make these guys out to be perfect, which they are most definitely not." Jessica reasoned. "And that's not the point Kaz! I don't like you spending so much time with your ex-girlfriend."

"Well, that's a little hard, considering she's working with my team, and, oh yeah, she's my friend." I retorted. She crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair to give me the stink eye. "Jessica, you have nothing to worry about there. Dani and I are done, over. Nothing's going to change that. You're the girl I like."

"Yeah, you like me. But you love her." She pointed out, her voice less angry and more hurt now. I opened my mouth to tell her that she was wrong, but she stopped me. "It's not just the movies, Kaz. I can see it in your eyes every time she's in the room. Things were going great between us, but then she came back, and now you're distracted, you're running out on dates, and frankly, she's the problem."

"Jessica," I sighed, "we're not getting back together. That's not going to happen."

"But it's what you want to happen, isn't it?" She asked me, eyes searching mine for an answer she knew I wouldn't say aloud. She sighed, having evidently found what she was looking for. "I'm no one's second choice, Kaz. I deserve better than that. So you need to make a choice: either you're all in with me, or…you're not with me."

 **Chase's POV**

"Yes!" I grinned, watching the point total rise. Despite the number of attacks that Frostbite and Crossbow had fought off this week, between Adam, Leo, Katherine, and Rio's efforts, my fantasy team hadn't just gained ground in our competition, we'd caught up. It had been almost two full days since we'd made the bet, but already each team was tied with over a hundred points a piece. "Tied already!"

"We still have five more days to beat you. Don't get cocky." Oliver retorted, giving me a look. Ever since Kaz had unexpectedly dropped out of the competition yesterday, without much of an explanation, he'd been more determined than ever to beat me and AJ in the competition.

"Ollie, he's always cocky." Dani pointed out teasingly, walking next to her brother. She was smirking, obviously delusional with the belief that they were still going to win the bet. At least, she was smirking until she walked into the ER of the hospital and found both Angela Conner and Melody Robins sitting on gurneys, talking with Rani. "What are you guys doing here?"

When the three girls turned around, you could tell the twins were in trouble. Neither Melody nor Angela were injured, but neither of them looked too pleased with the Shorts. And judging by the eager anticipation on Rani's face, they were about to be in trouble.

"Did you tell Arciere to give us all the missions involving villains and hand out all the simple ones to everyone else just so you could win extra points in a stupid competition?" Angela demanded, standing up and crossing her arms.

"No, of course not. We didn't do…" Dani turned to look at her brother, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh my God, Ollie, I was joking when I suggested that!"

"Chase and AJ are going to win, Dani." Oliver pointed out, frustrated. "It's not like Skylar or I can win points for the team, what with nothing going on in or around Centium City this week."

"So you decided that the entire thing was going to rest on our shoulders?" Melody accused, also standing up. Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped, but I couldn't tell if it was a result of the tension in the air, or Melody's actual powers.

"You guys could handle it. I mean, you've done this a million times." Oliver frowned, not seeing the problem.

"It's exhausting, Oliver. And missions right after each other? We're not gods." Melody argued.

"I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. "You're right, I didn't think about how much this was putting on you guys."

"There's a reason why we spread missions out among the team, and not send the same people every time." Angela added.

"I'm sorry." Oliver apologized again.

"We're sorry." Dani corrected, giving her twin a half smile. "It was my idea, joking or not."

"Are we forgiven? We won't do it again." Oliver promised.

"I suppose." Angela sighed dramatically.

"But we are quitting the fantasy league." Melody added.

"What?" Oliver objected.

"Well, taking a break is more accurate. We'll be back for the next set of drafts, but until then we're out." Angela replied.

"But you guys are the only ones on my team other than me and Skylar. There's no way I'll win if you guys quit." Oliver insisted.

"Well…" Melody and Angela exchanged looks. "That's a real shame, buddy."

And with those cheerfully spoken words, they walked away, heading towards Horace to presumably say hello before they headed back to New York.

"Well, I guess that means you're out of the competition." AJ pointed out, turning towards Oliver. Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I replied, answering it on the second ring.

" _So, after gettin' a call from a Melody-girl, I went to talk to Logan and he told me somethin' mighty interesting."_ Katherine drawled into the speaker. _"You wanna guess what he might o' said?"_

I licked my lips nervously, then put the phone against my shoulder and turned to AJ. "Uh, yeah, AJ. We might be out too."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey." I glanced up from my drink at the sound of Oliver's voice. He walked up next to me to lean against the wall of the veranda, looking down at the sunset glow bathed city.

"Hey." I greeted, not moving from where I was. "So, Rani tells me that we tied? How'd that happen?"

"Well, Mels and Angela both pulled out of the fantasy league, as did Chase's entire team. Something about us taking it all too seriously."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "We are a competitive bunch." I admitted. Oliver laughed.

"That is hard to deny." He agreed. "Anyway, we came to an agreement. We let the bionic people who aren't already against the fantasy league idea into the next roster, and Chase will let us have those upgrades to the hospital that we wanted."

"Please tell me you got us the invisible ambulance." That thing was just hilarious and fun to confuse people with.

"Calla's going to put an invisibility feature in one of the ambulances we already have sometime this week." He told me. I smiled a little at that. "So, what's up? What happened?"

"What makes you think that something happened?" I asked. Oliver gave me a look.

"Because I'm your best friend and also, I'm not an idiot." He replied. I sighed.

"Jessica and I broke up." I admitted. He grimaced sympathetically.

"You or her?" He asked.

"I…it was her idea, I guess, but she somehow made me be the one who ended up breaking up with her? I…girls are confusing, man." I replied, shrugging helplessly.

"I hear you on that one." Oliver agreed, turning around to press his back up against the wall. He glanced at me. "What happened?"

I sighed. "She said…well, she thinks I'm still in love with your sister."

Oliver looked at me, not saying anything for a moment. Then, "Are you?"

I glanced over my shoulder, catching sight of Dani in the living room, sitting with Alivia and Chase as AJ told them a funny story about something that happened during his year in Philadelphia. It must have been a pretty funny story: Dani had the back of her hand, slightly curled, pressed against her lips as she tried to suppress her laughter, but her eyes, aglow with amusement, gave her away.

I sighed, turning back to look at the city. "I have no idea."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Okay, not the most climatic chapter, but certainly an interesting one, don't you think? Seriously though, what do you think? I want to know! I enjoy reviews, people. Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few updates:**

 **June 1** **st** **: SHIRT**

 **June 8** **th** **: Cairo**

 **June 15** **th** **: The Returned (midseason finale!)**

 **Oh, and yes, I changed the dates a bit to move updates to Fridays now. For some reason, updating on Tuesdays just doesn't compute with my mind – twice now, I've totally blanked on what day of the week I was supposed to update on – so we're moving it to Fridays. But I promise you guys, next week's chapter is going to be an interesting one.**

 **Oh, and before I forget, this week's trivia question: what class was Alivia looking for when she first met Dani?**


	43. SHIRT

**Kihonne: And I'm back with another chapter! But first, I have a quick message to you guys, then shoutouts. I've gotten a few reviews lately about some confusion over certain aspects of the story, so I would like to take this time to remind you all of my other story** _ **The Year Between**_ **. If you haven't read it, I seriously suggest you do. It would clear up a lot of the confusion surrounding events that took place between seasons 2 and 3. Anyway, moving on, it's time for shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **Amazingchichi741: Well, I'm not going to promise that they're going to be going on any romantic dates any time soon, but now that Kaz and Jessica are broken up, there is going to be a lot more going on between the two of them. Believe me, they're going to have some special scenes in the upcoming chapters.**

 **Guest: I'm glad you enjoyed it! As for Chase and Calla, well, it happened about six months prior to this point in the series. I must suggest that you reread the past several chapters from this season because even if you decided to skip over** _ **The Year Between**_ **(which I recommend you read, as it contained a chapter specifically about Calla announcing her pregnancy, as well as many other chapters that would clear up some confusion as to what's going on in the season), there have been several comments and references to her pregnancy since the beginning of the season, including comments about food cravings and baby name suggestions. Hopefully, re-reading the past few chapters will clear up all your confusion. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: I understand that you meant no offense, and I took none from your review – I just wanted to make you understood why the swearing that is in the story is there. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you like this chapter too.**

 **LabGirl2001: Well, if I made them easy, then everyone would get them all right. The class was History 101, and while I was hoping for an actual class name, you did get the subject and most of the name correct, so full points to you. You now have 2/5 questions correct. Keep doing a good job! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, and the Kani love story that's going on in the background. There's going to be a lot more of them in the future, so hang tight! And know that you're not the only one excited for Calla's baby. A lot of the people are amping up for her birth. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you liked the chapter – I always thought that the fantasy league was a cool idea too, and even though I skipped over the episode in the Days of our Lives, I wanted to still keep it in the story at some point. AJ's going to be interesting to have back, especially once you see what I've got in store for him. Oh, and good job with the question. You were correct – it is History 101. You now have 2/5 correct answers! Good luck with the rest of them, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **JadenBree4ever: I'm glad you enjoyed it, especially the baby shower gifts! Jaden and Noah will be back soon though, don't worry. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Curious Cat: I'm glad you liked the chapter!**

 **RISEOFSEVEN FAN: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm a little surprised that her pregnancy is catching you off guard – there were several references to the upcoming baby, including comments about her pregnancy cravings, ongoing jokes about baby names, and even a chapter in** _ **The Year Between**_ **where Calla announced her pregnancy. Hell, in the chapter before last, she used her pregnancy to help trick a criminal. If you're that confused about her pregnancy, I recommend that you go back and reread** _ **The Year Between**_ **and the past few chapters. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: I know, right? It may have been one of the best movies I've ever seen, but I walked out heartbroken. I walked in mentally prepared for the wrong people's deaths. I'm glad my story cheered you up though. I hope you enjoy this one too.**

 **Guest: Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoy it so much!**

 **TheRealHarrisonW: Thank you, and more importantly, congratulations on graduating! Seriously, well done! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Yes, every once in a while it's nice to see them get a day off from near-death experiences. Rani will eventually memorize those spells – I think she's learned her lesson by now. As for their missing friends, there's definitely going to be some improvements in their search very soon, that's for sure. That's all I can say about it for now though :) As for Faith and Miles, well I'll be curious to see how you feel about them after this chapter and the next. And yes, AJ's back. He's going to be fun to have back in the story, especially with what I've got planned for him. You get a tiny hint at that tonight (really tiny though), and you'll be seeing more really soon. The fantasy league will make another appearance at some point in the Legacies story, though I might be altering a little bit by that point. You'll see what I mean when I get to it. And yes, Kaz and Jessica have come to a close. It always was a when with them, not an if. There were issues in that relationship, more so than you've already seen. You will definitely be seeing Kaz and Dani get closer, especially in the next few chapters. But I must warn you, Jessica's place in this story is not done yet. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thank you so much!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, I think it's time we moved on with the chapter, don't you?**

 **Oliver: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all its OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"Alright, this guy isn't supposed to have any powers, so this should actually be a pretty easy mission." Calla decided, her voice coming in through the comms. Alivia snorted in amusement next to me,

"He's a former apprentice of Dr. Wrath with a knowledge of the dark arts. Trust me, if working with Rani has taught me anything, it's never to underestimate magic." She reminded us before looking around the edge of the wall to make sure that the hallway was empty. The old apartment building wasn't exactly somewhere we wanted to be caught snooping – the people who lived here weren't the most law-abiding people, from what we could tell, and we didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble with the tenants when we were only after one of them.

"And we're sure he's got the Grimoire of Wrath, right?" Chase checked, frowning. He hadn't been particularly excited for this mission, still banking on technology being more useful in finding our friends, but he wasn't about to let any advantage escape us, even if it was one he didn't believe in.

"Yeah. Arciere's source says its in his possession." Calla confirmed. "It's not as powerful as the spellbooks Rani lost, and she likely knows most of the spells already, given that she was Wrath's student for years, but it'll certainly give her a boost."

"She's going to hate that she missed this." Bree mentioned.

"Well, it can be a surprise for her when she, Skylar, Dani, and Kaz get back from dropping those guys off at UPSEI." Calla reasoned. "Besides, waiting's not a good idea. The drone I've got in the air just got a pic of him in his apartment. You're good to go."

"Alright. Bree, Oliver, you two go in first and distract him. Geminus and I will take him down, while Jaden, you get the spellbook. Remember, Hendricks is notorious for using his spells to distract people while he steals from them – don't let him cause you to lose your focus."

"Let's just go already." Bree insisted, gesturing for me to go first. Smirking, I stepped in front of the apartment door, then charged at it, slamming into it with my shoulder. With my super strength helping to break the door down with ease, I led the way into the apartment. Hendricks, a thirty-something-year-old petty thief we'd been tracking for a week was in the apartment alright, sitting on the couch watching TV. He leapt up in surprise when we came bursting in, just as Bree sped at him.

" _Clipeum!"_ He shouted, raising his hand. Suddenly, Bree stopped running, bouncing backwards off of something we couldn't see.

"The hell?" She demanded, shocked.

"Okay, I don't know who you freaks are, but you're messing with the wrong warlock!" Hendricks announced. Bree glanced at me.

"Wait, are we actually supposed to call you guys witches and warlocks? I just thought we were teasing Nyx when we called her that." Bree asked loudly.

"Wizards has a better ring to it. What about Harry Potter?" I asked Hendricks, frowning deeply as if the matter was deeply important to me. Hendricks rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me that Hogwarts crap, you know that's all fake." He insisted, annoyed by the reference.

"Yeah, but they are so much better looking than you." Bree teased. Hendricks glowed at her, then raised a hand.

" _Perdere!"_ He shouted, and a blast of energy, a weird mixture of orange and black, flew at Bree. She sped out of the way with ease, and I took advantage, raising my hand and sending a wave of ice at him. Whatever he used earlier to protect himself from Bree also protected himself from the ice, but the ice left a layer over the invisible shield, blocking his view of us. Unable to see us or where our attacks were coming from, he was forced to remove whatever spell he had cast as a shield.

That gave Chase and Alivia the chance they needed to get in and attack him. Three redheads raced past me, followed closely by Chase. Before Hendricks could replace his shield with one not covered in ice, Chase used his telekinesis to slide a chair into the criminal, distracting him long enough for Alivia and Chase to get too close to be blocked by the shield. Meanwhile, I could hear Jaden in the background, rifling through drawers and cupboards in search of the grimoire.

"Have you checked the bookshelf?" I called over my shoulder.

"What kind of idiot would put a powerful spellbook somewhere anyone could see it?" Jaden retorted. A moment later, he spoke up again. "Nevermind, I found it."

"Where was it?" Bree called, smirking. Jaden didn't answer. "The bookshelf?"

"Shut up." He grumbled in response.

Suddenly, Chase stopped, stepping back from Hendricks as two of Alivia's doppelgangers held Hendricks against the wall. "What's wrong?" Bree demanded, recognizing the look on her brother's face.

"I…I don't know." Chase frowned. "I thought I heard-"

And that's when everything went to hell.

Suddenly, men and women in black Kevlar started filing into the room, carrying weapons and wearing masks. They didn't stop coming until there was about twenty of them in the tiny apartment, each of their weapons pointed at us.

"Stand down." One of them, a woman whose face was covered by a mask and goggles, ordered. "Or we will shoot."

We all exchanged looks, slowly raising our hands to show that we were unarmed. Well, this was certainly an interesting way to start the day.

 **Xxx**

"Where the hell are they taking us?" Bree hissed as we were led down a tunnel at gunpoint. The armed gunmen and gunwomen had marched us through the tunnels from the apartment, all the way to concrete wall and door. They'd brought us through the door, revealing an underground facility. It was modern and high-tech from the looks of it and from the platform we were being led across, we could see what looked like a command center, complete with a cyberdesk (like ours, but bigger and rectangular) in front of a massive supercomputer. At one point, three of the guards split off, taking Hendricks with them across another platform overlooking the command center, while the rest of us were all ushered into a small conference room.

The room was empty and ordinary in appearance, the only things in the room being a computer screen, a conference table, and a dozen chairs. As the door closed behind us, I could see two of the guards standing in front of the door.

"Alright, who are they, where are we, and what the hell is going on? I think those are the most important questions." Skylar declared, eyeing the door carefully.

"Forget about that; we can figure it out later. We need to get out of here." Jaden shook his head, looking at us. "What if they're the guys who took our friends? They have the resources to do so, the number, and they did just kidnap us."

"I don't think it's that simple." Chase shook his head. "I say we let this play out, see what happens."

"Why in the world would we do that?" I demanded, looking at him incredulously.

"Because this doesn't feel like a kidnapping." Alivia reasoned. We all looked at her. "Well, yeah, it _is_ a kidnapping, but I don't think they plan on keeping us here. And I don't think they're the ones who took Lily and the others."

"What makes you say that?" Bree asked, frowning. Alivia smiled.

"I can still feel my powers, which means I can duplicate if I wanted to. And I'm guessing your cryokinesis is still available if we need it?" She asked, glancing at me. I frowned, then place my hand on the table. Instantly, a small patch of frost covered the area around my hand.

"And I can still access my bionic supercomputer." Chase added. "They've made no effort to block our abilities, which means they're either ridiculously overconfident in their ability to overpower us, or they don't think that we have a reason to use them against them."

"And the reason we can't track Lily, Liam, Kieran, or Taylor is because they're somewhere where powers, bionics, and magic can't work. Meaning wherever they are, it's not here."

"Maybe." Bree frowned. "I still don't like this."

"Neither do I." I voiced my opinion.

"None of us do, but there's more here than meets the eye." Alivia reasoned. "Maybe you're right, maybe they're the bad guys, but right now, I think it's best that we ask questions before shooting our way out of here."

"Not to mention, not all the team is here. Calla was on the comms, she'll know we're missing. And since our powers are evidently working, we are somewhere that Rani can track us to."

"Which means the others will come for us." I realized. I frowned, trying something.

"Precisely. So we hold tight for now, and see what they…" Chase trailed off as voice started coming from outside the door.

"You can't do this! Do you have any idea who-hey!" The door opened up and Calla was pushed in, Noah held tightly in her arms. She spun around instantly, not noticing us in her anger. "When I get out of here, you're going to wish you'd never even come to Centium City!"

"You tell 'em, babe." Chase chuckled, amused. Calla's head whipped towards us, her expression going from surprised to relieved in a second.

"So," she said, as she recovered from her surprise, "have we come up with an escape plan yet, or were you all waiting for me?"

 **Skylar's POV**

"Okay, that's just mean. Kaz, you're supposed to be my friend!" Dani retorted as we waited for the elevator to stop on our floor.

"I am, and it is my duty, as your friend, to tell you that you are a terrible singer, and I think that you singing at a karaoke club is most definitely the last thing Rani wants for her birthday." Kaz insisted.

"He's absolutely right." Rani agreed, dead serious. "No karaoke."

"You two suck. Ollie says I'm a great singer." Dani insisted.

"Has Oliver ever told you there was something you couldn't do?" I asked, glancing at them over my shoulder. When Dani opened her mouth to reply, I added, "Unless it was something that could end with anyone getting seriously injured and/or killed?"

Dani let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, then what are we doing for your birthday? It's next Friday, right?"

"We don't have to do anything." Rani pointed out, shrugging as we stepped off the elevator. "I mean, it's not a big deal."

"Dude, you're turning 21. If it weren't for the fact that our birthdays weren't for another month, then we'd take you out to a bar." Kaz pointed out, smirking at her as he headed for our door. He stopped in front of it, his expression turning serious. "Not again."

Before I could ask what he was talking about it, I saw what he was staring at; the cracked frame of the door, the door itself half-cracked. Our apartment was broken into, again. I just glanced at the others, then pushed my way into the penthouse. Unlike last time, the apartment looked untouched, as if nothing had happened except for the damage to the door.

" _Invenies populum."_ Rani raised her hands and a purplish light pulsed out of them, casting the room in the purple light. She frowned after a moment. "There's someone hiding in the bathroom upstairs."

"Just one?" I whispered, keeping quiet so as to not alert them to our presence. Rani nodded and I gestured for Kaz and Dani to deal with it. That way, if whoever it was got past them, Rani and I would be able to deal with them. I watched as Kaz and Dani slowly made their way up the stairs. A moment later, there was a loud bang as one of them threw the door open, the sound of a blast, and a high-pitched scream. Another few moments passed, and we heard the sound of laughter.

"Uh, guys? You alright?" Rani called, confused.

"Yeah, we're good. I think we made AJ shit his pants though." Kaz chuckled, coming down the stairs with Dani, also laughing, and AJ, looking like he'd just had the life scared out of him, in tow.

"You didn't scare me that bad." AJ insisted.

"Yeah, that's why you shot at us." Dani pointed out, holding the plasma blaster she'd taken from him up for me to see.

"I thought you were the people from earlier!" He argued.

"What people?" Rani questioned sharply.

"AJ, what happened? Where is everyone?" I asked. AJ, meanwhile, just looked around, focusing in on the busted front door. "AJ!"

"Uh…" he shook himself. "There was a mission. Everyone but Calla left to take care of it. It was just me, her, and Noah here. I went to go to the washroom, and I heard a loud bang."

"That must have been whoever broke in breaking down the door." Dani observed. I nodded and turned back to AJ.

"What happened then?" I urged the kid to continue.

"Well, I heard Calla ask what they were doing, and then they ordered her to come with them. She said something really loud about them being smart about breaking in when she was the only one home, so I figured she wanted me to hide." AJ explained. "So I grabbed a spare weapon from her bedroom, and locked myself in the bathroom."

"How long ago was this?" Rani asked. AJ shrugged.

"Half hour? Forty-five minutes?" He guessed. He frowned. "I was going to hide in there until Chase and the others got back, but they should have been back ages ago."

I looked to Dani immediately. "Dani, can you-"

"They're alright." She assured me before I can finish, obviously having already contacted Oliver telepathically before I could speak. I let out a sigh of relief. "I mean, they have been kidnapped."

"What?" Kaz looked at her like she'd grown an extra head.

"They were taken on their mission by twenty or so gunmen." Dani frowned, pausing as she listened to Oliver's voice in her head. "No one's hurt, and they haven't even tried to block their powers. Calla and Noah are with them now, they're okay too."

"What's the escape plan?" I questioned, needing to know where they needed us to be for this to work. Dani scoffed.

"They don't have one. Chase wants to find out why they were taken before trying to escape, and with Noah there, no one wants to take any unnecessary risks. He said to be on stand-by in case they need us though."

"Are you serious?" Rani demanded in disbelief. Dani nodded.

"Then that's what we'll do." I decided.

"Are _you_ serious?" Rani questioned, turning on me. "Our friends get kidnapped, and we just do nothing?"

"Well, it's not like we know where they are. They don't even know where they are." Dani pointed out.

"Yeah, but…what if these are the same guys who took Liam, Lily, and your bionic friends. They were taken, and the only proof we have that they're still alive is the word of two idiots who came through a space portal from the future. Waiting for them to send us a signal to come get them? That's a terrible idea." Rani insisted. "For all we know, they could disappear just like the others."

"Aw, Rani, I didn't know you cared." Kaz teased. She sent him a glare. "I mean…please don't kill me."

"I don't care. But if I let Alivia get taken, Barry and the others are going to kill me." She insisted, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" I demanded.

"To go find them. Maybe you're okay with taking the chance of something happening, but I'm not." She declared before walking out the door. We watched her go, waited a few moments to see if she'd turn back, then look at each other.

"Well, you can't say that she makes things boring around here." Kaz declared, dropping onto the couch. I sighed.

"One of us is going to have to go after her." I sighed.

"Have fun with that." Dani told me, sitting down next to Kaz and leaning back in the couch. I gave her a look. "Oh no, I'm not doing it. I know how she gets when she's like this, and I'm not going to try and stop her."

"Why not?" I questioned.

"Because the last time I did, she locked me in a storage closet for four hours. FOUR! And the only reason I got out that quickly was because Lily came looking for me." Dani scowled at the memory. "So yeah, I'm not doing it. You can if you want though."

I sighed. "I can't believe you two." I muttered under my breath before leaving to try and find Rani before she did something stupid.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Alright, Dani said she'd tell the others what I said." I told the others while they tried to figure out where we were.

"Oh, by the way, them knowing where we live and breaking in while you guys were out? Not even the weirdest thing about this." Calla was saying. "I'm guessing you didn't see who the secretary was, did you?"

"They brought us in through the tunnels. We didn't see any secretary." Jaden replied, frowning.

"Well, they brought me in through the front door. The secretary," she shook her head in disgust before looking at Chase. "It's Sienna."

"Seriously?" Chase looked at her, eyes widening in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent. And she saw me, I know she did." Calla shook her head angrily.

"Hey, I'm not from around here, so if you don't mind me asking, who is Sienna?" Alivia questioned.

"Sienna Henig." I explained. She gave me a look. "AJ's mother."

"Are you serious? His mother works here?" The Irish hero stared at us.

"Apparently so." Bree frowned, not liking this development.

"Okay, but that doesn't prove anything. I mean, we still don't know why we were taken." I pointed out. "Maybe there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

"Oh, yeah, sure there is." Jaden rolled his eyes as he softly bounced Noah on his knee. "There's totally a logical, good reason for why they kidnapped seven people, including a seven-month old."

"Well," In the midst of our conversation, we hadn't noticed the door open and three people walk in, "in our defense, we never told the men to take the baby as well."

We all turned to our visitors, surprised to see that I recognized one of the three faces. "You've got to be kidding me." Calla muttered in surprise, staring at them.

 **Skylar's POV**

"Hey, wait up!" I called, finally managing to find Rani near the park. She had her back to me, walking with purpose. "Rani!"

She paused on the sidewalk, more out of surprise than obedience. The second she did, I saw a small needle hovering above the palm of her hand, pointing in the direction she'd been heading. "How'd you find me?"

"I had MISS run facial recognition to tell me where you were." I explained. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for our friends…I thought that was obvious." Rani snapped, turning around to continue on her way.

"No, I mean, what's this?" I questioned, jogging to keep up with her. I gestured at the needle, waiting for an answer.

"Tracking spell. It's rudimentary, but it works." She replied, keeping her eyes locked on the needle.

"You know, you being able to track them magically kinda helps Chase's point: if we can track them like that, but not Liam, Lily, Kieran, or Taylor, then they must be in different places right?" I pointed out, trying to get her to stop and think.

"Not necessarily. There could be something blocking Liam and the others from my magic, but not the team." Rani reasoned.

"Why would they do that?" I asked. She kept walking, so I grabbed her arm and forced her to stop for a moment. "Seriously, Rani. Why would they do that to one set of our friends, and not the others? Can you think of any logical reason why they would do that?"

"Not off the top of my head, but give me some time and I can come up with something." The witch insisted. I sighed.

"Rani," I said calmly, "there is no logical reason. I don't know what's going on, or who kidnapped the team, but they aren't the same people. Which means, we need to be more careful. We can't fight two enemies that we don't know anything about."

"That's why Chase is waiting it out. He wants to get as much info about them before we strike?" Rani confirmed. I nodded. "That's asinine. Every second they're in there, the more likely it is that they're not walking out. Escaping now is their best option."

"We don't know that." I told her. "It might be worth the risk."

"So, should we hold off on finding Liam, Lily, and your bionic friends? Because, you know, they might be able to find out something?" Rani challenged. I sighed.

"That's different. Dani's in constant contact with Oliver. If anything happens, we'll know." I reminded her.

"By time we find out, it might be too late. Their connection could be cut off like this." Rani snapped her fingers for emphasis. "And maybe it'll be because they blocked us, or maybe Oliver will be dead. You really want that on your conscious?"

I flinched at her words. "Too far, Shore."

Rani licked her lips, seeming to consider that she was pushing me past my limits. "Maybe. But it's the truth. Waiting is stupid and dangerous. For God's sake, there's a baby in there."

"Bree and Jaden would die before letting anything happen to Noah. Same with the rest of the team." I pointed out.

"That's my point. If we wait, they could all die." Rani told me, dead serious. I sighed, realizing how right her words were.

"We should head back to the Penthouse and grab Kaz and Dani for backup." I decided. "At least they're not stupid enough to go after the others on their own."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Skylar is absolutely going to kill us when she finds out that we went after Oliver and the others on our own." I mentioned, glancing at Dani as we made our way through the tunnels. She glanced up at me, a smirk on her lips, before looking back at the virtual map in front of her.

"Well, if everything goes our way, then we'll be back with the others by time she tracks down Rani." She replied.

"Since when do things go our way?" I chuckled.

"Fair enough." She agreed, looking up from the map. She glanced around, then nodded to herself. "Okay, so going off of Naomi's map of the tunnels, there's an area this way that's restricted. Given that it's so close to where AJ said the others went on their mission, I think it's a good place to start, right? I mean, Ollie did say they were brought through the tunnels."

"True." I raised my hand, using my pyrokinesis to light the way. Suddenly, my phone began to vibrate. I glanced at the caller ID. "Shit. It's Skylar."

"Don't tell her what we're doing." Dani hissed. I quickly answered it.

"Hey Skylar, you find Rani yet?" I asked, faking a cheerful tone.

" _Where are you?"_ Skylar questioned, getting straight to the point.

"Where are you?" I replied, avoiding the question.

" _Back at the Penthouse, where you aren't."_ She answered, sounding a little annoyed. _"Don't tell me you guys went after them on your own."_

"Okay. I won't tell you that." I agreed.

" _Oh my God, you guys are idiots."_ She cried, exasperated. Dani sighed, and held her hand out for the phone. I handed it over without a complaint.

"Look, Rani's right. And I think I've got a lead on where to find them." She told Skylar. She waited, listening, and I watched as her eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. "Uh, yeah. Okay. Sure."

She hung up, then started typing out a text. "What'd she say?" I asked, frowning. Dani didn't answer at first, instead waiting until she'd sent the text to reply to me.

"She wanted our coordinates. She and Rani are going to help." She replied, much to my surprise. "You know, I don't know what changed her mind about it, but since we're already out here, I'm claiming responsibility for it."

 **Oliver's POV**

"Agent DeCook?" Alivia dropped her formerly crossed arms, looking at the blonde-haired man in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Better question, what are _you_ doing here?" Chase demanded, looking at one of the men I didn't recognize. He was old – in his late forties, if I had to guess – and fairly skinny, with brown hair and a beard. The most notable thing about him though was the dirty look he gave Chase, Calla, Bree, and Jaden when Chase had spoken.

"I work here, Mr. Davenport." He sneered.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" I asked, confused.

"Geminus, Oliver, meet David Graham. He used to be a special agent that worked for the government." Jaden introduced us.

"Until you got me fired." Graham growled, apparently still resenting them for it.

"Well, if you didn't want to get fired, you shouldn't have been such a prick." Calla reasoned, leaning back in her chair with a smirk.

"Didn't you threaten to lock us in cages like circus freaks?" Bree asked. Graham opened his mouth to reply, but Miles cut him off.

"There's no need to bring up the past." He warned, giving Graham a silencing look. "And there will be no cages."

"So, what are you going to do with us then?" Alivia questioned. Miles looked at her, confused. "I mean, you did kidnap us, after all."

"That was a misunderstanding." The last of their group, an older man with dark brown hair and a thin beard finally addressed us. "I would like to apologize for that; my men were ordered to retrieve the self-proclaimed warlock. They were not expecting him to be engaged with you at the time, and my agents decided it would be best to take you along with him. When their mistake came to my attention, I sent for Mrs. Davenport and the rest of your team so that we could properly introduce ourselves as to avoid any ill-will."

"You sent for me? Trust me, there was a nicer way to ask than sending armed gunmen. Hell, they wouldn't even tell me where they were taking me." Calla snapped, annoyed. "And good luck finding our friends; they're part of an Elite Force for a reason. You'll never catch them."

"Agent DeCook will instruct his men to be more…forthcoming with information in the future." The bearded man replied, glancing at Miles.

"Agent." Alivia hummed, picking up on the word. "That's the second time you've said that word. If this is some sort of government agency, then it's not one I'm familiar with."

"We've only began operating in the past year or so. And knowing about us is above your paygrade, Ms. McLean." Graham sneered. Alivia stepped back, surprised that he knew her identity, then pulled off her mask and looked at the bearded man.

"Who are you and where are we?" She demanded, defensive and frustrated.

"My name is Arthur Bosetti, and I am the Director of S.H.I.R.T." The bearded man replied calmly. "You're at one of our headquarters."

"Shirt?" Jaden asked, confused. "As in the piece of clothing?"

"We're part of the Super Human Investigation and Response Team." Miles explained. "We investigate superhuman activity and respond if things get out of hand, similar to what I did at UPSEI, but with more resources." **(1)**

"SHIRT." Calla seemed amused by the name. "What, is there a PANTS agency too?"

"Agency? No. But the Powerful And New Technology Sector is part of S.H.I.R.T.'s headquarters." Miles replied. Calla looked at him in scrutiny for a moment before turning to Chase.

"I can't tell if he's joking." She told him seriously. Chase looked at Director Bosetti.

"You say you're like UPSEI? That you stop superhumans. Like bionic people, like Krane?"

"Some times they're bionic. More often though, they have abilities given through supernatural causes. Abilities like Ms. McLean's and Mr. Short's, if I'm not mistaken." Director Bosetti explained, taking a seat. Alivia and Oliver both froze at that. "Yes, we do know you're superheroes. Though I must commend you on your idea to hide your abilities under the bionic excuse."

"You know about superheroes." Chase stated. It wasn't a question.

"Of course. And supervillains as well. I've been dealing with them for years. Your mother among them, Mr. Short." Director Bosetti looked at Oliver, looking him over as if trying to judge how much he was like Bridget.

"So, Miles," Calla cleared her throat, drawing their attention away from Oliver. "Faith told me you were working security at her lab. Where does she fit into all this?"

"Uhm…" Miles glanced at Director Bosetti, who nodded his consent. "Who do you think is in charge of P.A.N.T.S.?"

"Wait, you weren't kidding about that?" Jaden demanded.

"I need normal people in my life." Calla muttered to herself.

"Well, yes, but ignoring that," Bree looked at Bosetti. "What do you want from us?"

"Excuse me?" Director Bosetti looked at her appraisingly.

"Well, you brought us here, you say that you don't want ill will between us, so what do you want?" Bree asked again.

"A collaboration." Miles explained. "between the Elite Force, The New League of Heroes, and S.H.I.R.T.. We want to work with you to put super humans behind bars for good. To do good, to save people. Exactly what you're doing now, but with more resources."

"Really? You're on board for this?" Chase glanced at Graham. Graham rolled his eyes.

"Well, I did head up a team focused on capturing super humans before…the incident." Graham replied.

"You mean the smoothie incident?" Calla smiled to herself. "Ah, good times."

"Why would we work for you?" Alivia questioned.

"With, not for." Bosetti explained. "Again, for the same goal. You'd be able to use our resources to help the people you'd be trying to help anyway, under the condition that you keep us in the loop about major superhuman activity."

"Such as?" Alivia questioned, sitting down on the table. When Graham looked like he was going to object, she smirked a little before turning back to Bosetti, smiling as she waited for her answer.

"Major developments with supervillains, warnings if there are especially dangerous criminals on the loose, things like that." Bosetti assured her. Alivia looked as if she were genuinely considering it. "And in exchange, we'll provide you with our resources for your missions and such. We'll even assist in helping you find Mr. Bennett, Mr. Daniels, Ms. Krane, and Ms. Michaels."

That caused us to pause. "How did you know that they were missing?" I asked sharply, glancing at Calla. She shook her head at my unvoiced question.

"I didn't tell Faith about that." She replied, disqualifying the only logical reason they had to know that information.

"Admittedly, another of my agents informed us of their abductions." Bosetti revealed.

"Another person we know is working for you? What, did you hire everyone we know?" I demanded. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. "I swear to God, if Dani is secretly moonlighting for another team again, I'm going to kill her."

"No, your sister is not in our employment. I believe Agent Graham was referring to Agent Henderson." Bosetti replied. We all stared at him; she was the last person we'd expect to be a spy.

"Jessica?" We all demanded in sync. Bosetti nodded.

"Agent Graham brought her into the agency when we hired him last year." He explained. "But that is not important. What is important is that they are important assets to your teams, and if you were to work with us, you'd have the entire agency at your disposal to find them."

Even I had to admit, that was an enticing offer. We had no idea what was happening to our friends, and we needed to find them before the unthinkable happened to them. More than that, it wasn't like these people were complete strangers – Miles DeCook had been working with the New League of Heroes since Alivia formed it, giving us plenty of reason to trust that his intentions were the same now.

Suddenly, before any of us could reply, Miles' phone beeped. He checked it, glanced at us, then turned to address his boss. "Sir, Team A has caught Dani Short, Kaz Broadman, Skylar Storm, and Rani Shore attempting to break into the facility using black magic."

"Have them escorted here unharmed, DeCook." Bosetti instructed. Miles nodded, gave us a smile, then left to follow his orders. Bosetti turned back to us. "So? Do we have a future working together, or are we to go our separate ways?"

Chase glanced at the rest of us, then cleared his throat. "We're going to need to talk it over with our team."

"Of course." Bosetti nodded in understanding. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He removed a business card from inside it, the only thing written on it being his name and his number, and handed it to Chase. "Agent Graham will escort you and your friends out. Please, call me with your answer."

"We will." Chase agreed. Bosetti nodded and got out of his chair. He shook Chase's hand before leaving.

"It was a pleasure." He told us before leaving to go do whatever it was that he did as director. Meanwhile, Miles led Kaz, Dani, Skylar, and Rani into the room.

"Uh, we're here to rescue you?" Kaz tried, grinning sheepishly. Bree shook her head.

"Come on." She pushed past him to follow Graham towards the exit. The others watched our group in confusion as we all filed out, bewildered by the serious expressions and Calla's utterance of her decision to kill both Jessica and Faith when she saw them next.

"What did we miss?" Dani asked, confused. I sighed and put my arms around Skylar's shoulder.

"I'll tell you on the way." I told them, following the others.

 **Skylar's POV**

"I don't trust them." Rani declared the moment Chase finished speaking. We were all back at the Penthouse, sitting around the living room as the others filled us in on what we'd missed.

"You have trust issues." Dani pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I'm wrong about trusting them." Rani pointed out. "I mean, they're a secret government organization. This has HYDRA written all over it."

"Okay, I'm banning Marvel movies from movie night at the NLH." Alivia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She glanced at us apologetically. "Melody has a thing for Sebastian Stan, so she's made us watch the Winter Soldier every time it's been her pick for movie night."

"I say we work with them. It doesn't matter if we trust them, we can use them. They have the resources we need to find the others." Dani pointed out.

"It would be nice to have some backup out there for once." Bree reasoned.

"I can't believe that Faith and Jessica have both been lying to me under my nose for a year now." Calla was still caught up in that little tidbit of information.

"I can't believe I dated a spy. I can't believe a spy broke up with me." Kaz too was deeply bothered by this revelation.

"Guys, can we focus?" Jaden called. He looked at the others. "We don't know anything about them aside from what they've told us. Everything they said could be a lie."

"I don't think so." Alivia frowned. "I've known Miles a long time; he started working at UPSEI the year after I became a sidekick. He's always done this kind of work, and if he says that's what he's doing now, I believe him. And I trust him."

"He has always be on the superhero's side of things." Oliver agreed, remembering our brief encounters with the former UPSEI agent.

"Yeah, but is trusting Miles enough?" Calla asked. "Rani's not wrong about there being a possibility of corruption. Graham is certainly not a good guy."

"He's not evil though." Jaden pointed out. Bree, Chase, and Calla all gave him dark looks. "Hey, I hate him too. Don't get me wrong, he's a horrible person. But he's also the type of horrible person who goes where money and personal success can be found, regardless of the side. And I'd be willing to bet that S.H.I.R.T. pays their agents a pretty penny."

"True. Graham would be on the right side for the right amount of money." Chase relented.

"I have an idea." I mentioned, getting everyone's attention. "Dani's right, they do have the resources we need to find the others. We can't let personal trust issues get in the way of saving the people we love. But it's also true that we can't trust them."

"What's your idea, Skylar?" Chase asked, intrigued.

"We work with them on a probationary period. Just until we find the others and take out whoever took them. We use them and their resources to save them, then…then if we still can't find a really good reason to trust them, we cut ties with them. End things as soon as our people are safe." I laid it out simply, and most of the others began to nod.

"I like it." Kaz agreed, flashing me a smile.

"As long as we save our friends." Alivia added.

"Everyone in agreement?" Chase checked. After everyone had voiced their agreement, he nodded to himself. "Alright, I'll go tell Bosetti that we're in."

He pulled out his phone and headed out onto the veranda to take the call somewhere quieter. "Well, this is bound to be interesting." Dani declared, taking a sip of her drink.

"I don't care if its interesting. I just want to find our friends." Oliver told her, serious.

"Oh! By the way, I totally forgot." Jaden reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a small, worn notebook. He handed it to Rani. "Our mission from earlier. It's the…"

"Grimoire of Wrath." Rani turned it over in her hands, smirking. "Oh, Dani's right. This is going to be interesting."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, that was…well, it certainly changed things, didn't it? What do you think? Good, bad? Any theories yet as to how S.H.I.R.T. will affect the story? The next chapter should be really interesting – for those of you wondering, both Jessica and Faith will be making appearances to get their side of things on the record, so that should be pretty intriguing to see. Anyway, this is the chapter schedule for the next few weeks:**

 **June 8** **th** **: Cairo**

 **June 15** **th** **: The Returned (midseason finale!)**

 **Oh, and before I forget, here's your new trivia question: in which chapter was Kieran first introduced in person?**

 **(1) I would like to commend all Marvel and DC comic writers on their ability to come up with cool-sounding acronyms for their agencies, because it is freaking hard.**


	44. Egypt

**Kihonne: Sorry for the late update guys, but don't worry, I'm back, and I think you're going to like this chapter. At the very least, you're really going to like the ending. But before we can get onto that, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm afraid you are incorrect. Sorry. The chapter you are describing is the Decision, I believe, and while Kieran was an important character in that chapter, he was actually introduced a few chapters before in Armed and Dangerous. I'm sorry, but your totally remains at 2/5. But please don't give up – it's possible that if enough people get their guesses wrong on other chapters, you might still pull ahead and win. Anyway, I'm glad you're excited to see what happens next, especially with S.H.I.R.T. I can't confirm or deny your theories, but I must say, your theory of Graham being a traitor is certainly an original one – no one else has come up with anything like that, so I must commend you on your out of the box thinking. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks!**

 **Just1oftheGuys: Thanks so much! It's always fun to hear from readers I haven't heard from before! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

 **AlienGhostWizard12: First off, you are correct! It was Armed and Dangerous! Well done! You're not at 3/5! Keep up the good work. And secondly, thanks. I think I went through a dozen different acronyms before I found one that actually made sense. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm glad you're interested. You don't seem to be the only one that doesn't trust S.H.I.R.T. Everyone seems a little wary of this new addition to the story, which I guess makes sense considering the types of twists I've pulled in the past. You have an interesting theory, especially the part where there are a few agents unaware of what you suspect to be S.H.I.R.T.'s real intentions. I guess you're going to have to keep reading to find out. And yes, Rani's got a new spellbook. I'm going to go into a little more detail on that soon, but it'll definitely make things more interesting. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Melody: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all of its OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

"Calla's still not taking my calls." Faith was waiting for us as we entered the S.H.I.R.T. base from the tunnel entrance. She was dressed in a mostly black uniform, with silver lines running down the length of the sleeves, along with a silver diamond on the front of her jacket. Judging by the looks of the other agents, black and silver were the agency's colors. Faith bit her lip nervously as she walked besides us, leading us towards the stairs down to Control Center. "How mad is she?"

"I don't think she's as mad as she is annoyed. Something about how Rebeccka is now her most normal friend." Chase replied. Faith grimaced.

"That's tough." She acknowledged. Chase chuckled.

"Give her some time, she'll calm down." He assured her. "How about this, you come over for dinner in a few days? Calla's in New York right now, but when she gets back, we can have a dinner party."

"Why's she in New York?" Faith frowned.

"Chase was annoying her." I chimed in. They both looked back at me and I grinned. "Don't give me that look; she was getting annoyed."

"No, she wasn't." Chase denied.

"Her exact words were 'Chase, you're driving me nuts, I'm going with Alivia to New York'." Dani added, smirking. Chase sent her a look, even as Faith laughed.

"Blunt and to the point. Sounds like my cousin." She smiled.

"Somebody's being overly fussy with her, especially with the baby on its way." Bree explained teasingly. She gave Chase a smile. "You have been over-protective lately."

"And apparently, you tried to convince her to take time off work even though the baby's not due until August." Skylar added.

"Being CEO of a company is extremely stressful, and that's without all of this going on," He gestured vaguely around him. "Stress isn't good for her or the baby; is it really that bad of an idea?"

"No, of course not, Chase. You're just doing it all wrong." Jaden told him. I chuckled at Chase's annoyed expression.

"And how would you do it?" He challenged.

"Trick her, make CeeCee think it's her own idea." Jaden reasoned. "Like…I don't know, get someone to annoy her so much that she decides for herself that she needs a vacation. Say to another state, maybe New York." Jaden smirked.

"Wait," Chase stopped in front of the large cyber desk, "are you saying that you guys were behind her going to New York?"

"We've been putting the idea of a vacation in her head for weeks." Bree laughed lightly. "And Frostbite's request for help at the NLH was just a perfectly timed coincidence."

Chase turned to her, looking as if he wanted to protest to the plan she and Jaden had been working on, but before he could, Director Bosetti approached us, Miles on his right and Sienna Henig on his left. Behind them was Jessica, dressed in the same uniform as Faith with her hair pulled up in a tight ponytail.

"Thank you for coming in, Elite Force." Bosetti gave us a friendly smile. He glanced at our group, confused. "I see we're missing a few of the team."

"One of the members of the New League of Heroes called Alivia and asked for her assistance with a minor issue." Skylar explained.

"What issue?" Sienna asked. She and Miles were both dressed the same, in long-sleeved dark grey shirts and black pants.

"She didn't say. She just stressed that it was important that Alivia and Rani return to New York." Dani explained. "Calla and my brother Oliver went with them."

"If it's something we should know about, we trust you'll keep us informed?" Miles questioned. Chase nodded.

"Of course." He agreed.

"Now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, Sienna, if you'd please?" Bosetti stepped back and gestured for the black-haired woman to take the lead.

"Alright, so we collected all the information you had on the disappearances of Mr. Daniels, Ms. Krane, Mr. Bennett, and Ms. Michaels, along with the information concerning your recent break ins. Combined with the locations you've been able to eliminate using Ms. Shore's magic and our own information about where one would be able to keep four heroes, bionic or super, without being detected, we've managed to break it down to a list of possibilities." Sienna tapped a button on the keyboard in front of her and a hologram of the planet appeared in front of us. There were about a dozen silver dots lit up on the holographic globe, spread out across all seven continents.

"These are the twelve places most likely for your friends to be held. They are all magical dead zones, for lack of better words, where your friends might be being held." She continued. She looked at us. "They're the only places that they can be held without us being able detect them."

"Rani says that other magic can block our spells, depending on the power of the user." Skylar spoke up next to us. Sienna looked surprised that Skylar knew that, but after a glance at Bosetti, she responded.

"Yes, that's true, but we would be able to track an overload of magic like that." Sienna replied carefully. She frowned. "Your friend Rani sounds like she really knows her magic. I'd like to compare notes with her some time."

"I'll mention that to her when she gets back." Dani assured her. She gestured at the globe. "So, we're going to start our joint searches in these places?"

"Yes, starting with this spot." Sienna waved her hand, spinning the holographic globe, before stopping it with her finger over the glowing dot in an area near where the African and Asian continents intersected. "Our scanners picked up on a unique radiation signature. It's harmless, as Agent Parker tells us," she gestured at Faith as she spoke, "but it is extraterrestrial in origin."

"Are you sure? What planet did it come from?" Skylar questioned sharply, glancing at the rest of us as if we would know the answer.

"We're not sure, but it's nothing like anything we've ever seen on Earth. However, the signature is weak, enough that our normal scans would have missed it had we not been going over the dead zones so carefully." Sienna explained.

"You think that the radiation has something to do with where they're being held?" I questioned. Jessica nodded.

"It makes sense. I mean, I assume the heroes you're missing are pretty powerful?" She confirmed. "They'd need something powerful to keep them locked up and hidden for so long, and alien artifact would certainly have the power to do so."

"If we're wrong and they're not there, then we'll at least be able to find the alien artifact and possibly use it to help us." Faith added eagerly. Chase nodded.

"Then I guess we start in Egypt." He decided. Director Bosetti nodded.

"Agent DeCook, have a transport arranged." He instructed before walking away.

"It'll be ready in half an hour. If you guys need to get anything for the mission, I'd suggest doing so now." Miles suggested.

"I'm going to call Jazz, let her know that she's going to be babysitting for a few more hours than she expected." Jaden decided. We all started to part ways, all except one of us.

"Hey Kaz?" Jessica called, not moving from her place at the cyberdesk. "Um, can we talk for a minute?"

 **Rani's POV**

"And that's the common area." Alivia declared, gesturing at the large living area that opened off of the eastern hallway on the second floor. Melody had called us the night before, saying that they needed some help with a 'minor' issue (I didn't think for a minute that it was as minor as she claimed, given that this was the first time the team had willingly called us home since we left for Centium City months ago, but I wasn't about to call her out on that over the phone), and so, Alivia and I, along with Oliver and Calla, had come straight to the base.

"Interesting." Calla hummed thoughtfully, even as she typed something on her phone. I shook my head, amused, having already seen the title of the note she was sending herself. We'd only been here for about an hour, and she was already working on a list of things she needed to update and improve in our home. If Alivia noticed though, she didn't say anything, instead continuing with the tour.

"And this is the kitchen." I added, stepping aside to let Kaz and Calla get a good view of the eating area. Tempest and Surge were already in there, talking in low voices as they ate what looked like leftover pizza.

"Hey guys." Alivia called, distracting them from their food. They both looked up, startled and surprised to see us. "Tempest, I'd like to introduce you to Calla Davenport and Oliver Short."

"Hi." "Hey." Calla and Oliver greeted.

"Hi...Uh, Geminus, we weren't expecting to see you here." Surge sent Tempest a glance. I frowned. Oh no, what were these idiots up to now?

"Yeah, well, Mels called, said it was important." Alivia replied, ignoring the glance. "I just need to grab some things from my office, and then I'm going to go find her and Alan."

"Uh, Arciere kinda moved into your office while you were gone." Tempest pointed out. Alivia nodded, unsurprised.

"I know, I told him he could. But I've still got things of mine in there." She didn't wait for another objection before heading down the hall and towards the rooms and the couple of private offices. I watched her go, then turned to the boys.

"Anything I should know about now?" I asked. They exchanged looks. "What did you guys do?"

"It's not so much what we did, it's who else is here." Surge replied, smirking a little. I looked at him in confusion for a moment before it dawned on me.

"Oh, this is...yeah." I realized. Oliver and Calla looked at me, confused.

"What's going on?" Calla questioned sharply. I laughed a little.

"Oh, you're going to love this." I told Oliver with a bit of a smirk myself. I quickly led them in the direction Alivia had gone in, catching up to her before she could make it to her office. "Liv, are you sure that you need to grab those things before we talk to Alan and Melody? I mean, I don't really believe that they called us all the way back here for something minor. It might be better that we talk to them first."

Alivia turned around and gave me a look. "Okay, I noticed those looks Christian and Ricky were giving each other in there. Is there something in my office that you don't want me to see?"

"Very possibly." I admitted. Alivia furrowed her brow, then quickly jogged up the stairs towards her office.

"Should we follow?" Tempest asked, appearing behind us.

"Perhaps." I agreed. "She's going to kill him, so that should be interesting to watch."

"You mean stop." He corrected.

"Sure." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, will one of you please tell us what's going on?" Oliver asked, starting to get annoyed with us.

"Come and see." I encouraged, heading up the stairs myself. I barely made it halfway up when Alivia's voice, angry, echoed in the hall.

"What the hell, Barry?" She demanded. We all exchanged looks, then starting rushing towards the source, all but Calla going two stairs at a time.

"What's going on-oh." I had to stop myself from smiling in amusement when I saw the scene that Alivia had stumbled upon in her office. Barry was in there, lying on the long couch on the far side of the room. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the girl with dirty blonde hair on the couch with him, tangled up in a blanket. A girl who most definitely was not part of the team.

"Jordan?" Oliver demanded, recognizing his former classmate. Jordan gave him a half-wave in response, cheeks red with having been busted.

"Liv, hey, you're back!" Barry quickly pushed away from Jordan as the Normo hastily pulled her shirt back on. "What are you doing here?"

"Frostbite called me." Alivia growled, crossing her arms and glaring at him. Jordan swallowed thickly.

"You know, you seem like you're busy, so I'm just going to go..." She tried to slip out of the room, but Oliver put a hand on her shoulder, preventing her escape. "C'mon Oliver, you're supposed to be the nice one."

"Do you guys mind giving us a moment?" Alivia question, her voice having changed from furious to that sickly sweet polite tone that made even myself nervous.

"We'll be in the living area." Calla told her, gesturing at Tempest, Oliver, Jordan, and I to follow her away from the office. Jordan gave Barry an apologetic smile as Alivia shut the door. The moment it was closed, however, Calla turned back to us with a puzzled look on her face. "So, someone's going to explain this to me, right? Because I'm a little confused."

 **Kaz's POV**

"Do we have to do this now, Jess?" I questioned, crossing my arms and leaning against the cyberdesk.

"I think I owe you an explanation." She said carefully, glancing at me as if trying to gage my reaction.

"What's there to explain? You were secretly a spy the entire time I was dating you." I replied. I looked at her. "Were you ever even an actress?"

"I did a couple of a small theatre things before Agent Graham found me. He asked me to join the agency he'd been working for at the time because of the amount of time I'd spent around the Davenports." She replied. She looked down at her hands, leaning against the cyberdesk next to me. "Usually, I say I'm a cashier or waitress as my cover, but when I moved down here, Calla already knew me and that I'd been trying to get into acting, so I went with that."

"Uh huh." I licked my lips, annoyed. She sighed.

"I lied to you, and I'm sorry. I know that wasn't fair to you." She apologized.

"No, it wasn't. But it doesn't matter, does it? You broke up with me, remember?" I pointed out.

"No, I gave you a choice. You chose to leave." She argued.

"You gave me an ultimatum, Jessica. There's a difference." I retorted. "And I'm starting to think I made the right choice. I mean, were you going to tell me about any of this?"

"Yes!" She insisted.

"When?" I demanded.

"That day. If you'd chosen me over her." She responded. I didn't answer that, too frustrated to really come up with an answer. "Were you ever going to tell me that you weren't bionic?"

I glanced at her, then looked away. "I didn't think so." She nodded to herself. She sighed. "Look, our relationship was far more complicated than either of us were willing to admit. Maybe it was best that we ended things."

"Maybe." It was the first time I'd agreed with her today.

"Are we going to be okay working together?" She asked after a long moment. She looked at me imploringly. "I can request that I don't work on this job, but your choices are either me or Agent Graham, and I know that your friends don't like him that much."

I sighed. "I can be professional." I agreed. She nodded.

"Good. Then let's go to Cairo." She decided.

"Let's go to Cairo." I agreed, already wondering if I was going to regret not tagging along with Oliver and the others on their trip to New York.

 **Rani's POV**

We all watched the hallway like hawks, wincing every time either Barry or Alivia's voices raised high enough for us to hear all the way down here. By now, Alan and Melody had both joined us at the table, and were patiently waiting for them to finish having it out. Tempest and Surge had left on a mission, practically jumping at the chance to get of here before Alivia finished with Barry.

"She is really mad." Jordan whispered, glancing at Oliver.

"Telling Normos about superheroes is a big no-no." Oliver whispered back. I didn't know why we were whispering - there's no way they could hear us from over there, even if they did stop their argument long enough to listen - but it felt appropriate. "And bringing one into the base? That's definitely against the rules."

"Trust me, this is nothing." Alan added, watching the hallway apprehensively. "You should have heard the lecture my Uncle Horace gave Blue Tornado after he accidently led him," he jerked him thumb at Oliver, "Kaz, and Dani into Mighty Med for the first time."

"And besides, Barry's supposed to be 'in charge'," I added, though I figured, knowing Barry, that his authority had been pretty relaxed since our departure, "so I don't think this is giving Geminus much faith in him."

"When did you find out?" Oliver questioned, turning to Jordan. She waved her dismissively.

"A few months ago. Better question, how could you not tell me?" She added accusingly.

"Horace kept threatening to cube us." I explained. Both her and Calla looked at me in confusion, but before either of them could ask what I meant by 'cube', Alivia walked in, Barry trailing behind with a sufficiently scolded look on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Alivia questioned, taking a seat next to me on the couch.

"Cubing people?" Calla replied, a puzzled look still on her face. "Though I'm not entirely sure what that means."

"It means we have the technology to literally turn people into small cubes." Alivia replied, examining her fingernails. She looked up at Jordan sharply. "We do it to people who reveal the existence of superheroes and stuff."

Her tone was light, but the look she was giving Jordan said otherwise. Jordan nodded slowly. "Message received." She mumbled. Alivia looked at me.

"Okay, so I figure that Christian and Ricky both knew about this, seeing how fast they got out of here, but did any of you know about this?" She questioned. When Alan, Melody, and I all raised our hands, she sighed irritably. "Of course you did."

"Hey, look at it this way: I'm pretty sure keeping rebellious secrets from your boss is a form of team bonding." I offered. She just gave me a look. "I'm going to shut up now."

Alivia sighed again, then turned to Jordan. "Since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful. Barry says you've been supplying information from comics, like Kaz and the twins used to do?"

"Yeah, I helped them take down a few low-level villains, find a spellbook," Jordan gestured at me, then shrugged. "It's fun."

"I'm glad you think so. I might consider making your position a permanent one." She decided. Jordan smiled at the idea.

"Wait, what's your source for the information. Ambrose died when Roddiseus and his family attacked Mighty Med." Oliver pointed out.

"His daughter, who has the same powers, took over Mighty Comics a couple of years ago." Jordan explained.

"Look, as interesting as this is," And it really wasn't, "Do you want to tell us why you guys called us back here?"

"Wait, did you...guys, I told you we had that under control." Barry gave them both a stern look.

"No, we don't, Barry." Melody told him, equally stern.

"How about we be the judge of that?" Oliver suggested. I nodded.

"What's going on?" I asked, leaning back on the couch.

"We...we may have lost a prisoner." Barry admitted.

"What do you mean you 'lost a prisoner'?" Calla asked, confused.

"Well, when Mighty Med was destroyed, so was Mighty Max, our supervillain prison. Now, we use UPSEI when we can, but for some of the more dangerous ones, or the ones that need a little extra guarding, we have a secondary facility in the city." Alivia explained before looking at Barry. "Are you telling me that one escaped?"

He hesitated before finally responding. "Yes, but before you get all worked up about it, I have Crossbow out there looking for her now. It's handled"

"Tell her who's missing." Alan instructed. Judging by his tone, he wasn't too happy with the way Barry was handling things, and while Alan was normally not happy with the way anyone did anything, he looked particularly put off by this. Alivia and I both turned to Barry.

"Well?" I asked impatiently.

"The Incinerator." He admitted. Alivia groaned.

"You have got to be kidding me." She muttered. "You lost the Incinerator?"

"Don't give me that look. She broke out on Crossbow's watch." Barry snapped.

"No, don't go blaming Angela. One of us screws up, it's everyone's problem, so we don't go putting blame on anyone." I stopped him there, annoyed. That had been one of the first rules Alivia had put into my head after I'd officially joined the team, and Barry should know it by now. "What happened?"

"She attacked Crossbow between guard changes, and broke out of the facility the other night." Melody explained. She looked at Alivia imploringly. "Look, I know she's just one villain and that we've fought her before, but she's extremely violent and with that fire fetish of hers, it's only a matter of time before she starts burning down buildings in the city. Crossbow's good at her job, but I don't think she's the right one of the job, and I sure as hell don't think that one person can take her down."

"Why don't you think Angela should be in charge of taking her down?" Alivia asked, trying to figure out Melody's train of thought. Melody sighed.

"Look, Crossbow's an expert at taking people out at a distance. You want a sharpshooter or an assassin captured? She's your girl, hands down. But most of the villains I deal with have elemental abilities like the Incinerator. Not to mention, there's no one alive who knows her as well as I do." Melody insisted. I frowned at first, confused, but then I remembered that the Incinerator's nemesis had been Snowstorm, Melody's late aunt. "I asked for your help because Oliver and I have abilities that directly oppose hers, because I know Rani has worked with her in the past, and because I knew you'd see sense in what I'm saying."

"And what about her?" Jordan asked, gesturing at Calla.

"Oh, I just needed a vacation." She explained.

Alivia seemed to consider what Melody was saying. She sighed and looked at Barry. "She's right. You should have put her on this instead of Crossbow."

"Alright." Barry didn't seem to like being told what to do, but he didn't argue with her. "What's the plan then?"

Alivia licked her lips, thinking, then nodded to herself. "Alright, Calla and Jordan, I want you two going over all comics with the Incinerator in it. Find me a weakness, her MO, and a list of her potential targets. Rani, Mels, between everything you two know about her combined, do you think you can try to figure out the types of places she'd target?" Melody and I both nodded. "Good. Barry, call Angela, tell her that she's gonna have company out there real soon. Alan, Oliver, you two get suited up and be ready to go. We're leaving as soon as we have a list of places she might hit."

"Got it boss." Alan nodded and gestured for Oliver to follow him. Alivia nodded to herself, smiling.

"You missed this, didn't you?" I teased. She smirked and nodded.

"Like you wouldn't believe." She admitted.

 **Kaz's POV**

Say what you would about S.H.I.R.T., but they had the coolest toys. Calla would be so jealous that she missed this, especially once she saw this ultra-cool high-tech jet. It wasn't like any of Davenport's, which were built for comfort, but this jet was more like a war machine, with computers and systems similar to our mission command built into it. We were all currently looking at one of their viewing screens, which showed what looked like a temple.

"So that's where they're holding Kieran, Taylor, and the others?" Bree questioned, surprised to see such a large temple in the middle of the desert.

"Possibly. You'd be surprised how many of these abandoned temples still exist out here that haven't been investigated by archaeologists." Faith reasoned, sitting in front of the screen. She glanced at Miles. "Alright, you're the boss. What's the plan?"

"Alright, this is the only entrance to the temple that we know about. We go in together and stick together. It's possible that the place is empty, but it's also possible that the entire base is filled with unknown mercenaries. Be prepared to walk into a trap. Faith, you're only here because of the possible alien artifact that Bosetti wants us to take home and study, but you have minimal field training, so I want you to stick especially close to us." Miles instructed. "If anything goes wrong, our priority is to get out of there without any casualties. At the end of the day, if we have to gather a stronger strike force and wait for the rest of your team to return from New York, we will. Understood?"

"Understood." Chase nodded. He glanced at us. "I'd like Bree to scout the place once we're in there, if you don't mind. With her speed, she can get a good idea of what we need to expect without getting caught."

"Agreed." Miles nodded as the jet's autopilot set us down about a kilometer away from the temple. "Sorry about the walk, but it's better to set down farther away rather than get seen setting down closer."

"No, it's smart." Skylar nodded.

"You sure you don't want me to speed in and scout now?" Bree questioned, glancing at Chase. Jaden shook his head.

"Personally, I'd rather if you wait honey, that way if something goes wrong, we're close enough to help you." He spoke up. Chase nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. Wait until we reach the temple, make sure that we can get in at all without being shot down."

"Alright, fine." Bree sighed, disappointed.

"Grab your stuff, let's go." Jessica commented, already grabbing a backpack off of an equipment table in the back.

We all started the slow trek towards the temple, kicking up sand as we went. It wasn't like I expected Egypt to be like - sure it was sandy with sand dunes as far as I could see, but it was more rocky than I expected, and there weren't any cacti in sight.

Eventually, we reached the temple. On the outside, it looked empty and abandoned, but a set of foot prints in the thin layer of sand in front of the broken wall we were using as an entrance told us otherwise.

"Someone else has been here, and recently." Dani observed, on guard.

"Keep your eyes peeled." Miles instructed, pulling out his gun. Jessica followed suit, while Faith adjusted her grip on her own weapon.

"Is that a plasma gun?" I recognized the model. Faith smirked.

"One of Davenport Industries' ones. I bought it when I joined the agency." She replied.

Without another word, we slowly made our way through the break in the wall. Chase, Miles, Skylar, and Jessica went first, with the rest of us following closely behind. The room was dark, nothing inside to imply that anything electrical was currently being used.

"Alright Bree, do your thing." Faith instructed. Bree smirked proudly, then sped forwards, through a nearby opening in the hallway.

Almost immediately, sand and dirt began to fall from the ceiling. "What the hell is that?"

"I...I don't think the temple's structural integrity can handle something moving so fast through its halls." Faith realized. "Chase, you should call-"

"I'm back." Bree suddenly skidded to a stop next to us. She shook her head. "I went through a couple of the rooms, but it started to look like the ceiling was gonna come down."

"Yeah. We're going to have to be careful when we use our powers or weapons." Skylar decided. "One wrong shot-"

"And we'll end up buried." Dani realized.

"So, no scouting and no shooting, if we can afford it." I muttered. "That's going to be a little difficult if anyone else is here."

"You think we should call it, wait until the others get back from New York for some backup?" Jessica offered.

"We're already here. If there's someone here, they know about us, so by time we come back, they'll likely be gone. We might as well check it out while we can." Faith argued. Jaden sighed.

"She's not wrong." He pointed out.

"Alright. There's a split in the hall ahead, we should probably split up." Bree suggested.

"Good idea." Miles nodded in agreement before leading the way towards the split Bree had mentioned. Just as she'd said, the tunnel split off in two different directions, one heading east and the other south.

"Faith, Kaz, Dani, Jaden, you guys come with me down this path, Chase, why don't you lead Jess, Bree, Skylar, and Oliver down that one?" Miles suggested. Chase nodded.

"Alright, comms on. If there's trouble, you call. Immediately." He ordered.

"Agreed." Bree nodded. We broke off and Dani, Jaden, Faith, and I started following Miles down one hall.

"You know, if it weren't so creepy, this place would actually be pretty cool." Jaden commented.

"Ollie would be freaking out right now." Dani chuckled to herself.

"Oh, he'd probably be afraid of a mummy coming to attack him." I joked.

"Are you guys always this...relaxed on missions?" Faith questioned, giving us all looks.

"Actually, yeah. It kinda works for us." I replied.

"Besides, I think we're in the wrong place. I don't think the others are here." Dani added.

"You don't?" Miles asked, sweeping his flashlight across the ground. Dani shook her head, running her hand along the dusty walls.

"This would be the ideal place, if the ceiling wasn't about to come down on us," she began. Faith interrupted her.

"I don't think it's actually about to come down." She assured Dani. Dani shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. It's still unsteady." She insisted. "Which means that no one in their right mind would use this as a base. I mean, if it can come crashing down at any moment, it's too much of a risk, especially when your goal is to keep prisoners long term."

"So, you think we should leave?" Jaden asked. Dani shook her head.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in the alien radiation thingy." Dani admitted.

"Alien artifact." Faith corrected.

"I prefer radiation thingy." Dani replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I want to see what that's all about, but I highly doubt that whoever took our friends has ever been here."

Suddenly, the room began to shake, as if some sort of earthquake had started. Faith and Miles drew their weapons, both spinning to face opposite directions.

"What was that?" Jaden demanded.

"I do not know." Miles raised his hand to his comm. "Chase, come in. Was that you guys?"

 _"Yeah, sorry."_ Chase replied instantly. _"Bree accidently hit one of the beams, and it crumbled."_

"Damn it, Bree, are you trying to bring this whole place down on us?" I asked, teasing her.

 _"Oh, please. As if you haven't made mistakes on missions before." The_ speedster retorted.

 _"Guys, enough."_ Skylar scolded. _"Look, I don't think the others are here."_

"Yeah, agreed." Miles replied, nodding at Dani to acknowledge the points she'd made earlier. "Should we bail? I'm not sure this alien artifact is worth it if we all get buried alive in here."

"It is worth it. Whatever it is, it can help us against whoever this new threat is." Faith insisted. She gave Miles a look. "Director Bosetti wanted us to find the source of the radiation, or find the missing heroes. The heroes aren't here, so we need to find the alien artifact."

"I know that you're hoping for some new weapon, Faith, but it's not worth the risk. We can come back with a team more prepared for these conditions." Miles assured her. She sighed, not liking his plan, but choosing not to argue with him either.

 _"I'm with Miles."_ Jessica agreed.

 _"Anyone other than Faith have any objections?"_ Skylar questioned. When no one spoke up, she continued. _"Then it's settled. Let's get out of here and start looking at which one of the other dead zones we should check out next."_

"C'mon." Miles gestured towards the exit with his head. Jaden pushed his way ahead of us, apparently eager to get out of the building now that he knew it could possibly collapse. We'd almost made it to where the two hallways crossed when Faith suddenly shouted in surprise.

"Something just touched my legs!" She cried, aiming her weapon at the darkness.

"I didn't see anything." Dani frowned, eyes narrowing as she tried to see what had startled her.

"I'm sure something was there." Faith frowned. Suddenly, she let out another surprised cry, and before anyone could stop her, she aimed her gun and pulled the trigger. The plasma blast from her weapon hit the nearby wall, and suddenly, the room began to shake much more violently than before. I heard someone, Miles maybe, shout to take cover, then saw the large crack forming in the ceiling. Then, it caved in.

 **Xxx**

"Ow." I complained, wincing as I pushed a piece of cracked rock off my leg. To my surprise, I was surrounded by utter darkness, not able to see even a foot in front of my eyes. My comm set crackled in my ear, but I couldn't make out anything being said. "Guys?"

"Kaz?" Dani's voice, weak with relief, hit my ears. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." My leg hurt a fair bit, but by the feel of it, it was sprained at worst. "Where are you?"

"Next to you...maybe? I can't see." She replied. I frowned, then raised my hand and created a ball of fire in my palm. Sure enough, the light coming off of the small fireball was enough to reveal Dani standing a few feet away from me, hands on the wall. She turned around at the sudden light, relief all over her face. "Thank God!"

"Where are the others?" I questioned. She gestured at a wall of rocks across from me. It was then that I realized that we were trapped between the two walls and the debris from the collapsed ceiling. "Why do these things always happen to us?"

"Bad luck?" Dani shrugged, one hand reaching up to her comm. "No, he's okay, Chase." She said. Well, at least one of our comms were working. "I don't think his comm is working."

"I think it got busted when I got hit by the ceiling." I replied, reaching up to touch the tender spot where I'd been hit. It wasn't bleeding thankfully, but there was a sizable lump there. Awesome. I looked upwards, disappointed but not surprised to see that the ceiling that had collapsed had not been the roof, meaning that Dani and I couldn't exactly fly out of here. "Is everyone else alright?"

"Yeah. Miles and the others managed to avoid being hit, but we're stuck here, and Faith is stuck behind that. She said she's going to look around for another way out on her end." She gestured at one of the debris piles.

"So, what about us? I don't think either of us can blast our way out of here without taking the rest of the building down with us." I pointed out, pulling myself to my feet. My knee twinged in protest, but thankfully it didn't seem like I'd have any trouble walking...not that there was anyway to go, stuck as we were.

"Well..." Dani smirked, looking upwards. "That looks like a second floor to you, doesn't it?"

I followed her gaze. "There's got to be a staircase between the floors." I realized. She smiled.

"We just need to find it." She agreed. She pressed her hand to her comm again. "Chase, don't wait around for us. Kaz and I think we know a way out." She paused, listening, before rolling her eyes with her signature smile on her face. "Yes _Dad_ , we will call if we need help."

She laughed a little at Chase's response, then turned back to me. "Ready for a little adventure?"

 **Rani's POV**

"So how sure are we that the Incinerator is going to attack this location?" Alan questioned walking alongside me into the abandoned building.

 _"Fifty-fifty? I mean, that's why we sent the other half of the team to the other location. Geez, Alan, pay attention."_ Jordan laughed into the comms. She and Calla had set up their own mission command in our living room, and clearly the Normo girl was enjoying herself.

She was right though; there were two likely targets for the Incinerator, both of them in the form of buildings in the city that had been foreclosed. Alivia had led a team to the other location, leaving myself, Alan, and Melody to handle this location. We'd already been staked out here for two hours though, and I could understand why Alan was losing his patience.

"She'll show up eventually." Melody said patiently, shuffling through the deck of cards I'd had the sense to bring. He gave her a look. "Yes, I know that could be a while, but capturing her is worth it."

"I guess." Alan muttered. I smirked a little, listening to their banter. They'd been dating a couple of months now (though they tried to hide it from the group, everyone knew about it, just as everyone knew about Jordan's not-so-secret visits to the base whenever Alivia was gone), but I still couldn't figure it out. They couldn't be more different, with Alan being all aggressive and stubborn and...well, Alan, and Melody being so sweet, patient, and nice at time that it made me nauseous. It was a weird couple, though for some reason that seemed to work for them.

 _"Hey, guys? Jordan and I tapped into the cameras around your buildings, and Melody, you guys have company."_ Calla suddenly spoke up.

"Which way are they coming in?" Melody demanded, standing up.

 _"Back entrance, first floor. Be careful guys."_ Calla warned.

"Will do." I cracked my knuckles, eager for a chance to take the Incinerator out. Alan smirked.

"I have a plan." He told us, smiling.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hopefully this is the right way." Dani commented as we made our way through the old, cobwebbed hallway. We had just guessed which way would bring us to a staircase, assuming there even was a staircase that would bring us down to the same floor as our friends (who could tell with these creepy old tunnels), but we really had no way to be sure if we were going the right way.

"I'm sure it is. And if not, then we can just turn around." I offered.

"Yes, but if the staircase is on the other side, it's also trapped under a set of debris." She pointed out. Not wanting to admit that she could very well be right, I decided to change the topic.

"So, what do you think of this whole S.H.I.R.T. thing?" I asked curiously. She shook her head.

"I don't know. It kinda feels like the setup my mom had back when I was...back when she was free and trying to take over." Dani changed her sentence so as to not bring up her undercover mission again. "I don't really trust it, to be honest, but I'm not sure if that's just because my mom poisoned me against this kind of thing."

"I don't know either. I mean, on one hand, we know a number of the people that work there, and they're not criminals. I mean, did you know that Sienna is AJ's mom?" I asked. Dani's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, I thought she looked familiar." She smiled a little. "What does AJ think of all this? Does he even know?"

"Apparently, she told him after we all found out so that he wouldn't find it out from one of us." I explained. "Chase says he thinks it's the coolest thing in the world, his mom being a spy. Even if she is only an analyst. The kid's going to see if she can get him an internship or something there, since Bosetti's apparently her Dad or something."

"I didn't know what Bosetti's her dad. It kinda explains how she got into the business though." Dani hummed before giving me a look. "By the way, don't knock analysts. That's pretty much Calla's job until the baby comes."

"Oh, she can't hear me." I assured her, smiling. She glanced at me before continuing to run her hand along the wall, hoping that it would feel any turns in the hall that we would miss in the dim light.

"So, I saw you and Jess talking." She observed. I looked at her. "Don't worry, I didn't overhear anything. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Please, I'm always okay. I'm awesome." I insisted. She raised an eyebrow at that, not answering. "Seriously Dee, I'm okay."

"You sure? You guys were dating for a while. That was a gift for your six-month anniversary, right?" She asked, gesturing at the watch I was still wearing. I nodded.

"Yeah. I guess I should probably take it off, right?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I mean, you don't have to. It was a gift, right? And besides, maybe it'll help you be on time for once in your life." She teased. I gasped mockingly.

"Me? Late? Name one time." I retorted jokingly.

"Literally every day of school until I started making you come jogging with me in the morning." She replied, smirking.

"School was different. I didn't care about school." I pointed out. "Was I ever late to meet you for jogging?"

Dani considered it. "Fair enough." She agreed. She glanced at me. "But you're sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Dani." I promised her. "Besides, I think she was right."

"Right?" She asked, confused. I sighed.

"She said some things that I don't think I can argue. Things like we both had our secrets, and we want different things." I replied. Dani frowned.

"What sorts of things?" She asked, confused. I hesitated, trying to figure out how to answer that. The truth was, I wanted her. Dani had always taken up this weird part of my heart, one that didn't care about anything but having her by my side, in any capacity. But I didn't know if she was looking to get back together - she had been careful to steer as clear from that topic as possible since the day she'd come back to the penthouse - but I did know that I didn't want to lose her again.

"I think I might want to join the New League of Heroes." I said instead. Dani looked at me in surprise, eyes widening.

"What?" She demanded. I nodded, and she smiled in excited disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah. Bree and Jaden were talking about taking a break from the team when you guys came back, and I don't think Calla and Chase are far behind them, not with little Challa Junior on the way." I explained. "And I know Oliver and Skylar are talking about a future together. This team isn't going to be around forever, and I'm serious about wanting to be a hero."

As I said it, it made more and more sense to me. The team was going to break up eventually, and chances were, it would probably be sooner rather than later. Being a hero was everything I'd ever wanted to be - it was what attracted me to comic books when I was a little kid - and if I joined the League, then I could continue saving lives alongside Dani. Even if we never got back together, even if that chapter of our lives together was over, we could still have each other in our lives. It could all work out in a way we'd both be happy with.

"I...wow." She didn't seem to know what else to say. I smiled.

"You think I should do it?" I asked. She laughed a little, still surprised by my confession.

"Yes!" She insisted. "I mean...if that's what you want." I couldn't see her face the best in this light, but I could practically hear her blushing at how quickly she had responded. "You should talk to Liv about it. She'd be thrilled to have you."

"I haven't decided yet, but I will definitely consider it." I agreed. I glanced at her, then started to add. "So, listen, I-"

Suddenly, the hall began to shake again. It wasn't as bad as before, but with the temple already unstable, the floor beneath us began to crack. I barely had the chance to let out a muttered curse before it collapsed beneath us.

"Oof!" I coughed as I landed on my back on top of the rubble, Dani landing directly on top of me. "God, you're heavy."

"Don't you know not to say that to a girl?" Dani retorted, lifting her head off my chest to look me square in the eye. She was so close that I could see the sparkle of amusement in her forest green eyes, the tiny specks of gold seeming to glitter in the dim light.

"Kaz, Dani?" Bree chose that moment to come running into the hall. She looked down at us, slightly amused. "Nice of you two to drop in."

"You're hilarious." I commented sarcastically as Dani slowly climbed off of me. Chase and the others came jogging up behind Bree. Chase offered me a hand up, giving me a sympathetic look.

"You guys alright?" Jaden asked, concerned.

"We're fine. Didn't I tell you guys to leave us behind, that we'd figure our own way out?" Dani questioned, surprised to see them.

"Did you really think we'd actually leave you guys in here alone?" Chase chided. "Of course we stayed. We've been trying to figure out how to get you guys out of there."

"Which apparently, you didn't need our help for." Skylar commented.

"Wait, where's Faith?" I asked, concerned.

"She's okay. Actually," Miles paused to listen to his comm. "Actually, she just got out herself. Whatever shook the temple there broke a crack in the side of it. She crawled out. She may be dirty and covered in sand, but she's okay."

"That's good." Dani agreed. She took a deep breath, then smiled at the others. "Think we can get out of here now? Because honestly, Ollie's not the only one afraid of mummies, and with the way our day is going, if we stick around, we're legit going to run into one."

Bree chuckled at that. "Let's get out of here." She agreed.

 **Rani's POV**

"Well, well, well, look who it is." I sang, sauntering down the stairs to greet the Incinerator as she made it to the second floor. "It's Denise, right?"

"Incinerator." She corrected instantly. She looked at me appraisingly. "Rani Shore. I heard you're one of the most powerful witches of your age."

"Well, I don't want to brag, but...yeah." I put my hands in my pockets, cocking my head to look at her. "Been a while."

"I also heard you went and joined the heroes." She commented, glancing up as a bat flew past our heads and landed on the ceiling above her head.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't about to go to jail for Wrath. He was a horrible teacher, always gave me Bs instead As." I replied, shrugging.

"How rude of him." The Incinerator snarked. I smirked a little, amused by her sarcasm. "And what, you thought you could come here, and beat me? All by yourself? You really think you have that kind of power?" She laughed a little too herself as flames appeared around her wrists. "I think maybe the Bs were a little generous, don't you?"

"They would be, if I were that stupid." I admitted. "But really, what kind of idiot fights fire with fire? I'd much rather use something a bit colder, wouldn't you?"

Before she could question what I meant, Melody stepped back into the building, my distraction having given her the time to sneak out the front so that we could attack the Incinerator from both sides. Before the Incinerator even realized she was there, Melody raised her hand and a blast of ice burst towards the pyrokinetic criminal.

"You!" The Incinerator snapped, raising her hand just in time to protect her face from the ice crystals. Alan took that moment to reveal himself, shapeshifting from the bat above her into himself. No longer able to hold onto the ceiling like a bat, he fell directly onto his target, slamming her into the ground.

The sudden blow knocked the breath out of her lungs, but unfortunately for Alan, we'd all forgotten about her ability to breathe fire. The oxygen that rushed from her lungs came out in lungs, engulfing Alan's torso in the flames. Luckily, whatever material his uniform - a black shirt and a dark-blue sweater vest - was made out of was fire proof, but the sudden appearance of flames was enough to get the shapeshifter to roll out of harm's way.

The Incinerator recovered all too quickly, twisting around and climbing to her feet. Melody and I both went in for the attack at the same time, but she had anticipated that, one hand raising towards each of us to shoot a fireball at us. I dropped to my knees, avoiding it, while Melody spun around, barely sidestepping it before continuing with her attack. She blasted her enemy full of ice. The Incinerator, having expected that Melody would be incapacitated by her attack, stumbled back in pain and surprise, tripping right into me.

 _"Prohibere!"_ I shouted, raising my hand at the Incinerator and concentrating my energies on her. Instantly, she stopped moving, a confused look coming across her face.

"Sorry, you were taking a little too long to freeze her, so I decided to do it myself." I teased Melody. She rolled her eyes and turned to the Incinerator.

"Time to take you back to prison." She declared proudly.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Alright, thanks man." I hung up the phone, leaning against the kitchen counter just as Dani came walking out of Mission Command. "That was Oliver. He said that they caught the Incinerator. They're going to spend the night in the city, then come back in the morning."

"Oh, cool. Good for them." Dani smiled. She looked around. "Bree and Jaden already go home?"

"Yeah. They've got Jazz babysitting for them now because apparently we both suck at it, but she had a shift at Mighty Med." I explained. "Oh, and Oliver, Chase, and Skylar all went to bed. Said they had enough excitement for one day."

"They might have the right idea." Dani yawned. I nodded in agreement. "I'm heading to bed."

"Yeah, me too." I agreed. I followed her up the stairs, heading for our separate bathrooms. "So, I've got a question for you."

"Shoot." Dani replied, purposefully keeping her tone soft as we made our way onto the second floor.

"Did you know about Jordan?" I asked, smirking at her. She smiled playfully at me.

"Jordan who?" She asked in that fake, teasing tone.

"Oh, is that how you want to play it?" I challenged, grinning.

"Oh, that's how I want to play it." She replied. I smirked and suddenly, she backed away, knowing what was coming next. I lunged forward, trying to grab her hands, but she danced just out of my reached, heading for her bedroom door. I caught her first, grabbing hold of her wrist and pushing her up against my bedroom door. "Fine, fine. I knew about Jordan." She giggled softly. I chuckled, letting her go and stepping back.

We stood there for a moment, staring at each other, feeling like the same two sixteen-year-olds who used to sneak into the change rooms at Mighty Med just to sneak a kiss.

Then reality caught up with me and I stepped back. "I should let you get to bed."

"Uh, yeah." Dani nodded, glancing at her feet for a moment. She stepped to the side, getting out of my way.

"Good night." I mumbled as she walked past me. I heard her footsteps stop.

"Kaz?" She murmured after a moment. I turned around to see what she wanted, and suddenly, her hand was pulling me closer by the front of my shirt and her lips were crashing into mine with a hunger that I hadn't known she had. I kissed her back, savoring the taste of her lips against mine, one hand reaching up to her head to pull her closer, the other reaching around her waste to keep her close to me.

 **Jazz's POV**

"Hey, since when did you take overnight shifts?" Kacy, the receptionist, asked as I walked into Mighty Med 2.0.

"Well, it's summer, so it's not like I have to get up early in the morning. Besides, my Dad's out on a date, and I hate staying home alone." I replied, taking a clipboard from her. She smiled at me sympathetically. "So, I miss anything good today?"

"Well, they brought in this cutie about an hour ago." Kacy jerked her thumb towards the ER. "I haven't seen him before, but he sure is a looker."

"You've only been working here for four months, Kacy. You don't know half the superheroes we deal with." I pointed out, though I was smiling at her description of the patient. "What happened to him? Supervillain attack?"

"No. Poor thing got hit by a car." She replied, shaking her head sadly. "He's lucky we've got people working at the Normo hospitals in case any of ours end up there instead of here. If they hadn't caught the fact that his DNA wasn't Normo, then he'd be in a Normo ER right now?"

"What are his injuries?" I asked, glancing at the chart. It currently read John Doe, but that was likely because the few doctors working tonight were both fairly new as well - with Horace preparing to open a second Mighty Med 2.0. in LA, he and Oliver had needed to bring in a lot of new faces so that they could start training under our trained doctors.

"A couple of broken ribs, concussion. Nothing major." Kacy replied. I nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go see if he's awake, try and put a real name on this chart." I decided, heading for the ER. It was mostly empty tonight, with not much going on in the superhero world at the moment. In fact, there was only one patient - our mysterious John Doe.

He was still unconscious, lying prone on one of the beds. But I didn't need him awake to know what his name was. This was hardly the first time I'd seen this hero, though he certainly wasn't who I was expecting to see.

I turned around and fished my cell phone out of my pocket. Hitting one of the speed dial buttons, I prayed he would answer the phone. After a moment, a drowsy voice picked up. "Jazz? Why are you...I'm not on call tonight."

"I know, Oliver, I just..." I glanced back at the unconscious hero. "We got a John Doe in here a couple of hours ago and I just came to check on him...Oliver, it's Spotlight."

 **Kihonne: And I end on that dazzling cliffhanger. What did you guys think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? Anyway, this Saturday (June 16** **th** **) is going to be the midseason finale, The Returned. I can't wait to see you then!**

 **This week's trivia question is: where were Liam and Lily working when Alivia first came to them about creating the New League of Heroes?**

 **Be specific with your answers guys; I'm looking for the name of the place, not just the type of place. Oh, and since this chapter was posted so late, I'm giving you guys extra time to respond. For this chapter, you have until June 22** **nd** **to send it in. Good luck guys!**


	45. The Returned

**Kihonne: And I'm back, this time with part 1 of the 2-part midseason special! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: I'm so glad you liked it! And yes, Liam's back, and Kaz and Dani are potentially getting back together. It's going to be an interesting chapter for sure. As for the alien artifact, well…keep reading. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Just1oftheGuys: It's sure to be an exciting chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm glad you're excited for the chapter, and that you enjoyed the Kani scene as well as Spotlight's return. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! I'm glad I did get to put a good ending to Jessica and Kaz's relationship, one that the readers could understand. Neither of them were meant for each other sadly. As for Kaz and Dani, I've got a lot planned for them in upcoming chapters, so stay tuned! I'm going to be touching on the future of these characters a lot in the second half of this final season, partially to set things up for Legacies, but mainly to provide some sense of closure for them. After all, with Legacies taking place nearly two decades after this story, and with these characters' limited cameos, I do want the readers to finish the story feeling satisfied with how they ended. I do agree that the NLH is a better fit for Dani – as much as I love her with the Elite Force, she's always felt a bit like the odd man out, and Dani was always going to work better in a more formal type of environment than what the Elite Force could provide. Your mistrust of S.H.I.R.T. is quite interesting if you ask me, and I am curious as to your thoughts on Sienna and Bosetti, especially after their scenes in this chapter (no need to ask you about Graham, I think we all feel the same way about him). I'm glad you liked what I did with Jordan – I always felt that she belonged in the superhero aspect of things, and it is the perfect job for her. Not to mention, it gives her and Barry the opportunity to be together without him having to lie to her about what he really does. Unfortunately, that is probably the last time we'll see them (though they may end up with a short cameo in the final chapter, depending on if I decide to extend certain scenes or not), same with Alan and Melody. I'm glad you like their relationship, as well as Alivia's enjoyment of being in her element again. That would make a great team up, I admit – those two could probably take over the world together. Liam, ah Liam…well, it's going to be an interesting chapter with him in, that's for sure. I think you're going to like what I do with him and Rani in this chapter, though I am curious about your reaction to the ending. Thanks so much for your kind words, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: I'm glad you liked it so much! Enjoy!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Liam: Kihonne does not own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or Elite Force. Only this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Dani's POV**

"Hey! Horace!" Kaz shouted as we ran through the doors to Mighty Med 2.0. Horace was already waiting for us, going through some files at the front desk.

"Room 23." He said before any of us could get another word out.

"Thanks." I pushed past the others, rushing towards the room in question in search for my teammate. None of us could believe. Liam, back? Alive and without any serious injuries? It seemed too good to be true. But sure enough, as soon we reached the room Horace had told us, we found our friend, lying unconscious in a hospital bed. Jazz was in there with him, checking things off a checklist.

"Oh my God." I whispered, not believing my eyes. "He's alive."

"He's lucky." Jazz added, looking up at us with a small smile. Chase looked at her.

"What happened to him?" He asked stiffly, eyes scanning the unconscious hero in search of injuries.

"Well, he got hit by a car up on Walkley. We're not sure of anything before that, but he's got a couple of broken bones and a concussion. Like I said, lucky." Jazz handed the clipboard over to Kaz. He looked it through, double-checking everything she'd told us.

"He's going to be fine, guys." He assured us before giving Jazz a grateful smile. "Thanks calling Oliver, Jazz. Really."

"Of course. I know how important he is to you guys." The fifteen-year-old replied. She glanced at Liam, then back at us. "But I should probably go. I have other duties."

"Of course. Nice job." Skylar patted her shoulder as she left. He glanced at us. "How the hell did he get hit by a car?"

"Well, I assume he walked in front of it." Jaden offered. Kaz gave him a look. "Hey, ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer."

"I think what Kaz meant was, how did he get in front of the car in the first place? I mean, how did he escape from whoever was holding him?" Bree questioned, his hand running Noah's thin hair as he slept against her chest. As soon as we'd gotten the call from Ollie, we'd called her and Jaden to meet us at the hospital.

"I guess we'll find out when he wakes up and tells us?" I offered, shrugging.

"We could be here a while then." Skylar pointed out. Chase nodded to himself.

"I'm going to go talk to Jazz, see what information we can get about where they found him. Just in case we need to check the location of the accident for details about whatever happened to him." He decided.

"Good idea. I'm going to get coffee." Jaden offered. "You guys want some?"

"Please." I nodded.

"I'll help." Kaz offered, following him and Liv out of the room. Skylar glanced at me.

"Hey, can we talk?" She asked, gesturing to the hallway. I nodded.

"Sure." I replied. She led me into the hall, just out of earshot of the others. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know, is it? You never came back up to the bedroom." She mentioned. I froze, realizing I'd been caught. Kaz and I hadn't really talked earlier, not about us or what had happened, and after I'd woken up in his bed to the sound of Ollie's ringtone, I hadn't even paused to think about it.

"Uh, I couldn't sleep. After the temple thing, I just couldn't stop thinking about mummies, and I knew if I went to bed, I'd probably have nightmares or something, so I went down to Mission Command and played video games." I said, trying my best to sound apologetic. "I didn't mean to worry you or anything."

"You played video games on Calla's super computer?" Skylar raised an eyebrow. Before I could reply, she chuckled. "And here I was thinking that Bree, Jaden, and I were the only ones who used it for personal use when she wasn't looking. We watch Teen Fiancé marathons on it all the time."

"Jaden watches Teen Fiancé with you guys?" I asked, both surprised by that interesting bit on information and relieved to be able to change the topic so easily. Skylar nodded eagerly, smirking.

"Apparently Bree got him into it back in high school and now he's a bigger fan than we are." She admitted. We both laughed at that, amused by the older boy's surprising interest in reality love shows.

"Uh, guys?" Bree called loudly. "I think he's waking up."

Skylar and I exchanged looks before rushing into the room. Sure enough, Liam was starting to stir, his head rolling restlessly on the pillow. Just as I walked up to the hospital bed, his eyes fluttered open, briefly confused before they focused on me. I stopped in my steps, suddenly feeling uneasy. The look in his eyes was wary, almost...almost upset. But I didn't have much time to ponder on it, for the look was gone almost as quickly as it had come. He blinked, seeming to come back to himself, before offering me a thin smile.

"Hey." He greeted, his voice gravelly and weak.

"Hey sleepyhead. We've been waiting for you." I teased as Chase stepped into the room.

"We?" He repeated, looking around. I sat down on the bed, offering him a smile.

"Just me and the Elite Force for now, but Rani's on her way, I promise." I assured him with a smile. When he nodded tiredly, I smirked and added "Though she might not be too happy with you."

"I worried her?" He muttered. I didn't answer him verbally, but gave him a smirk that said 'well, no shit, Sherlock'. "I'll apologize to her when I see her."

"Good. The last thing we need around here is a little lover's quarrel." I mentioned just as Kaz and Jaden came back into the room, carrying trays of coffee.

"Hey, how're you feeling, man?" Kaz asked kindly, setting the tray down on a small table on the side of the room.

"Like I got hit by a bus." Liam admitted, sounding rather annoyed by the fact.

"Actually, according to Jazz, it was a mini-van." Chase mentioned. Liam groaned, dropping his head back onto the pillow and closing his eyes.

"I'm a freaking superhero and I got taken out by a soccer mom car?" He questioned.

"Looks like." I agreed. He cracked his eyes open to glance at me. "I promise I won't make fun of you...too much, that is."

"Gee, thanks." He retorted, closing his eyes again.

"Hey, no sleeping yet, man." Kaz tapped his shoulder. Liam groaned and opened his eyes, giving Kaz a death glare. "We need to know about the others."

That really got to Liam, because a moment later, he was trying to sit up. "Crap, the others. We have to save them." He hissed in pain as the sudden movement pulled at his wrapped ribs. I put my hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"No, you're in no condition to mount a rescue right now." I told him firmly. He ignored me, sitting up completely. "Hey! Seriously, lie back down."

"You are not in charge of me!" He snapped coldly, giving me a glare that I hadn't been expecting that.

"Alivia would say the same thing if she were here." Kaz told him. Liam sighed, looking away. "Besides, you can't do much injured."

"Well, we can't just let those bastards keep them locked away like they'd been doing." Liam growled.

"So let us help." Chase walked around the side of the bed so that Liam, now sitting next to me, could see him better. "Tell us what happened."

Liam didn't answer right away, instead glancing at me. "The League's working with the Elite Force. They've got friends missing too."

"Let me guess, bionic boy and blind girl?"

"Blind bionic girl, but yeah." Bree nodded. "Kieran and Taylor are from the Academy. You've seen them?"

"We were being held together in some facility." Liam explained. Jaden opened his mouth to ask a question, but Liam beat him to the punch. "Don't ask me where; I have no idea where we were being held, only that we were held in cells with power-nullifying bars and no windows to speak of, and that they gassed us with some sort of knock-out drug before moving us."

"They moved you?" Chase glanced sideways at Bree, brow furrowed in confusion. Liam nodded.

"A couple of times, whenever they thought that someone was close to finding us. I'm guessing that someone was you guys?" He guessed. I nodded in confirmation.

"How'd you escape?" Kaz asked the most obvious question. Liam gave us a little smirk.

"The drug never really worked all the way on us, but usually, when we woke up in the back of that truck, we'd have power-nullifying cuffs on." He began.

"And you didn't this time?" Bree guessed. Liam shook his head.

"Oh, we did. But this time, mine weren't working." Liam grinned.

"They weren't?" Skylar questioned, her tone suspicious. Liam shrugged.

"Well, they were at first. They short-circuited sometime on the drive. I felt my powers come back instantly, and attacked one of the guards."

"And then you what, bolted and left Lily, Kieran, and Taylor there?" I asked, a little confused. Liam would never just leave them there, especially not Lily.

"Of course not, Dani. I would never leave anyone in the hands of dangerous criminals." He gave me an incredulous look. "No, I had no intention of leaving anyone behind, but the guards fought back and I got thrown into the doors at the back of the truck. They must not have been completely secure, because the next thing I knew, I was hitting the asphalt hard and the truck was speeding away."

"And they just left you there?" Bree inquired. Liam shrugged.

"I guess. Maybe they thought that having three heroes in their grasp was better than risking grabbing a fourth in a public road after at least a dozen drivers saw them push him out of the back of their truck in handcuffs? I mean, there's no way they'd be able to get away with that." He theorized.

"Oh, they won't be getting away with anything." I promised him. He smiled, nodding in agreement. "Is that when you got hit by the car?"

"I...Maybe?" He guessed. He looked at us helplessly. "That's really the last thing I remember."

"Head trauma can sometimes cause short-term memory loss." Kaz supplied. "It's okay, man. We're just glad you're alright."

"Why did they take you in the first place, though? Why do they need you?" Jaden questioned. "And better question, who's they?"

"Well, I can't answer that last one - they were wearing these hockey masks. But they did interrogate us, or at least, me. I can't say for sure about the others." He looked up at Chase. "They were asking about some alien artifact that fell to Earth, like 15, 20 years ago."

"What artifact?" I questioned, confused. He shook his head, shrugging.

"I don't know. I just know that they used part of it to make their weapons, but that there was another part of it that they were missing, a part that they needed. I don't know why." He explained.

"If you don't know anything about it, why were did they think you did?" Kaz asked, confused.

"You know, I might have an idea about that." Chase mentioned, giving Bree and Jaden a sideways glance.

"Well, do you want to clue me in? Because..." He trailed off, looking past me before a small smile split onto his face. "Hey."

I turned to see Rani standing in the doorway. She looked disheveled, still wearing PJ pants and a purple sweater she'd probably pulled on in a hurry, looking just like we'd pulled her out of bed. But the look she was giving Liam, nervous, hopeful but apprehensive at the same time...and incredible vulnerable.

The last time I'd seen that look on anybody's face, it was that night at the Davenport Industries facility, when Kaz tried to convince me to come home after working with my mother for eight months. It was the look of someone whose heart had been broken before, and they were terrified of risking it again for something as dangerous as hope.

"Hey." Rani's voice was tight, her words forced around what sounded like a pretty big lump in her throat.

"We'll give you guys the room." I told her gently, motioning for the others to follow me into the hallway. Alivia, Ollie, and Calla were all waiting for us, concerned looks on their faces.

"Is he alright?" Alivia demanded as soon as Chase closed the door behind us.

"Concussion and three broken ribs. He won't be doing anything stupid and dangerous for a while, but he should be fine." Kaz assured.

"Well...I mean, it IS Liam. We're still going to have to stop him from doing stupid and dangerous things, injuries or not." I mentioned lightly. Alivia gave me a stern look but didn't comment on it.

"Did he say anything? How are the others?" Ollie demanded, crossing his arms.

"They're alive, as far as he remembers. He says they were moving them. I want to check out where he was hit by a car - there might be clues to where the vehicle." Chase decided. Alivia nodded.

"Good idea." She agreed. Bree looked at her.

"Hey, I don't suppose you know anything more about that Tamarack Lake Asteroid, do you?" She inquired. Alivia frowned.

"I told you everything I know. Why?" She asked, confused.

"According to Liam, they interrogated them about an alien artifact that fell to Earth about 15 to 20 years ago, that they use part of it in their weapons, but they're missing a part that they need." Chase explained. "Sound familiar?"

"They were using fragments from that meteorite in their weapons." Calla remembered. Alivia shook her head.

"The government has it, right? Not us." She reasoned, though she sounded uncertain about that.

"Are you sure? I've been thinking about that, and it doesn't make much sense to me." Jaden commented. "I mean, you mentioned that your father had files on it. If superheroes are supposed to be a secret, and the government did manage to get ahold of the meteorite after it crashed, how would anyone from the superhero world manage to make files on it?"

"A file. He had one file." Alivia corrected. "But, you might be right."

"It would explain why they interrogated Liam about it; if they think that the superhero world has control over it, whatever it is, then members of the New League of Heroes would be the most likely to know about it." Calla agreed.

"And everyone in the superhero world knows that bionic people have aligned themselves with superheroes, especially since Davenport Industries funded the creation of Mighty Med 2.0." I added.

"I guess. I don't know where I'd begin looking, though." Alivia frowned.

"Put Jordan on it. I'm sure she can find it." Kaz suggested. Alivia raised an eyebrow at our former classmate's name.

"Good idea." She agreed before glancing at me. "By the way, remind me to give you hell later for not telling me about her."

"Will do, boss." I agreed, smiling.

"But for now, what's the plan?" Calla questioned, looking at Chase.

"Well, somebody has to tell S.H.I.R.T. about Liam and our theory about the asteroid. Babe, you mind?" He asked. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, I can do that. Besides, AJ's interning there today, so I can check in with the kid and see if he'll do some snooping about the asteroid for us." She decided.

"You don't trust S.H.I.R.T.?" Alivia asked, surprised. Calla shrugged.

"They're a secret intelligence agency. I think they're on our side, but if by some chance the government did get ahold of the asteroid, I don't think they'll tell us." She reasoned.

"It's a good idea to get AJ involved, but keep in mind, his mother and grandfather work at S.H.I.R.T. Tread carefully." Chase warned.

"Don't I always?" Calla rolled her eyes, kissed him on the cheek, then started towards the exit.

"Is that a joke?" Chase called after her. We heard her laugh, but she didn't bother turning back. Chase watched her go, looking concerned.

"I'll go with her." Ollie offered, noticing the look as well. "Keep her out of trouble and all."

"Thank you." Chase told him sincerely. Oliver nodded at him before jogging after Calla. Chase turned back to us.

"As for the rest of us, I'd like to check out where Liam was hit by that car. There might be forensics that can tell us where the vehicle that he and the others were being moved in went, or other clues as to who took them."

"I can go back to Mission Command, see if I can help from a technological standpoint." Jaden offered. Chase nodded.

"Good idea." He agreed.

"Hey, can you...?" Bree trailed off, but Jaden knew what she meant, already reaching for his son. Noah let out a distressed sound at being pulled away from his mother, but Bree quickly shushed. "It's okay, Bug, Mommy's just going to go help a friend of hers, alright?"

"C'mon, buddy. You wanna help Daddy with work?" Jaden offered, trying to distract the eight-month-old.

"What about Liam?" Skylar asked, pointing at the closed door with her thumb.

"I think Rani's got him handled." Alivia smirked, amused.

 **Rani's POV**

I let the door close behind me without saying a word, too busy taking in Liam's face to care about who was or who wasn't in the room. He looked the same. Well, a little bruised and beaten, but otherwise, it was my Liam.

"Rani-" He began after a long moment of silence.

"Are you really here?" I cut him off, unable to help myself. This could be a trick, God that would be so typical of my luck, to get him back just to have him torn away from me again.

"What does it look like?" He questioned in reply, giving me his signature smirk.

"No, don't play games. Not today." I warned him, clenching my fists to try and get them to stop shaking.

"Rani," he said calmly, his smirk turning into a more sincere smile, "it's me, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

You'd think those words would be a relief to me. You'd think they'd make me feel better. Instead, the reality of it all - how long he'd been gone, how much I'd missed him, how he broke that last promise he made me - crashed down on my shoulders. I pressed a hand to my mouth in an effort to keep it in. Don't be emotional, don't show weakness. I'd learned pretty young that those were the kinds of things that got you hurt the most, especially in this world.

"C'mere." Liam held out an arm and I lunged at him, ducking my face into the crook of his neck as I tried to get a hold of myself. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Rani. I should have...I don't know what, but I should have done something."

I took another moment, breathing deeply and fighting to keep my emotions from taking hold. Then, finally, I managed, "You broke your promise."

Liam laughed a little, not having expected me to say that. "And which promise was that again?"

I pulled away, staring at him. Did he forget? How could he forget? "You promised you'd come home, that we'd finish talking about...well, you know." He tried to hide it, but he looked far too confused for him to genuinely remember. "You don't remember."

"No, I...Rani, I-" But I was already pulling away, moving to walk away. I mean just, wow. I put my heart out on the line there, and he didn't even remember?

"How could you not remember?" I demanded incredulously. He gave me a look, patient, but frustrated.

"In my defense, I have been held captive for five months and I did just get hit by a car. Kaz said it himself, head injuries tend to screw with the memory" He pointed out. I looked away.

"Right, sorry." I apologized, realizing that this was not the time. Regardless of whether or not he had truly forgotten that conversation or not (God knows how easy it would be for him to use amnesia as an excuse to get him out of a really awkward conversation, especially if I was right about only one of us being in love), I had to remember that this was not the time. He was hurt, he had just been through something terrible. It was not about me. "Are you okay?"

"It hurts." He admitted, rubbing his midsection with a grimace. But when he looked at me, there was a playful gleam in his eyes. "Maybe a kiss would make it better."

I raised an eyebrow at that and crossed my arms, earning a laugh from him. "It was worth a try."

"You're infuriating." I muttered.

"And you are gorgeous." He countered. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm in sweat pants, a tank top, and an old sweater." I pointed out.

"Gorgeous." He insisted. I bit my lip, trying not to give him the satisfaction of getting a smile out of me. "Look, I'm sorry I don't remember what we talked about. I really am, and I don't know why there are gaps in my memory like that. But do you want I do know?"

"Enlighten me." I replied. He smiled.

"I know that I'm here, that I love you, and that I'm not going anywhere without you ever again." He told me. I stared at him, taking in those words.

"Say that again." I whispered, needing to make sure I'd heard him correctly. He smiled.

"Which part?" He teased. I gave him a look. "The 'I love you' bit?"

"Yeah." I was smiling now, unable to stop myself. He smirked.

"I love you." He repeated. I looked down, trying to bite back the smile a bit. He cocked his head to the side, looking at me in vague amusement. "Do I get a kiss now?"

"You're relentless." I laughed, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, you love it." He teased, leaning forward to lock lips with me.

 **AJ's POV**

"Hey, Jazz texted me. Is it true about Spotlight?" I demanded, meeting Calla and Oliver at the entrance to the secret, underground facility that my mother and grandfather worked at.

"I didn't know you had Jazz's number." Oliver frowned. I shrugged.

"She wanted my help setting her up with one of the guys at the Academy." I explained. I looked at Calla, eyes wide. "So? Is it true? Is he back?"

"He's back, and he's going to be okay." She assured me. I smiled.

"Any word about Kieran, Taylor, or Scarlet Ace?" I inquired hopefully. She gave me a thin smile and shook her head. "I'm sure we'll find them. I mean, now that we're working with S.H.I.R.T..."

"Yeah, how's that going, by the way?" Oliver interjected. I shrugged.

"Well, I mean, it's really cool that my mom works here, and even cooler that my grandfather runs the place. And I love that my mom got me an internship here, but I'm not really doing anything but getting coffee." I admitted, sighing. Calla looked at me appraisingly, so I quickly added, "I mean, it's totally worth it. I'm sorry I left Davenport Industries, but c'mon, what other fourteen-year-old can say that he works for a secret government organization?"

"Hey, AJ? How well do you know your grandfather? I mean, you've never even mentioned him before, let alone S.H.I.R.T." Calla mentioned.

"Not well. Mom and he...I don't know what happened, but she never talked about him. I only met him last January, a couple of months after we moved to Philadelphia." I told her.

I felt my stomach twist a bit at those words and I wondered if I should tell Calla the whole story. Not that I really knew the whole story myself. Mom had been very careful to keep me out of the most of it for now, but what I did know...well, I thought maybe I should tell someone about it. Something was just wrong there, the way those two had re-entered me and my mom's lives seemingly overnight, without much of an explanation other than that it was a 'family secret'. I wasn't sure whether to trust them, but Mom had insisted that what was going on was alright, and that everything was going to be okay. Part of me thought that I should tell the team about it, but a larger part of me trusted that my mom wasn't going to do anything to hurt me or any of my friends.

If Calla noticed my hesitation, she didn't mention it. "Hey, pal, you think you can do me a favor?" She inquired instead, giving me an encouraging smile.

"Depends." I frowned, wondering where this was going. She put her hand on my shoulder, still smiling.

"You ever hear about the Tamarack Lake Asteroid?" She asked. I shook my head and her smile grew a little. "See what you can find out about it? There's a discount at the Davenport Industries gift shop in it for you."

I grinned. "Sure." It seemed harmless enough.

"That a boy." She smiled back, pleased with my answer. She raised her head a moment later, eyes looking past me at someone approaching. "Agent DeCook, hello."

"For the last time, there's no need for that agent stuff. I'm dating your cousin, you can call me Miles." He told her good-naturedly as he walked up to us. "Speaking of whom, she's left you about a hundred voicemails." He was wearing a black

"It was six, not a hundred, and I was busy." Calla defended herself. Miles gave Calla a look. "I'm not mad at her, alright? Look, I'll talk to her later, I promise, but right now, we have business to discuss."

Miles frowned. "Why? Did something happen in New York?"

"No, but something happened in Centium City." Oliver told him, his tone serious. Miles took one look at the expressions on their faces, then nodded.

"Let's go find Graham and Director Bosetti, shall we?" She decided.

 **Dani's POV**

"This is definitely the place." Skylar decided as we walked across the asphalt. Bree and Chase were at opposite ends of the normally very busy road, setting up road blocks with the help of a few of our friends in the police department, trying to keep the area as undisturbed as possible as we conducted our investigation. Even if they hadn't confirmed that this was where Liam had been hit by the mini-van, one look at the skid marks on the ground could tell you that something had happened here. "Alright, so what are we looking for?"

"Anything that tells us about the car that took our team, I guess." Kaz shrugged.

"Jaden's checking security footage, but there aren't any cameras in the immediate area, so that's a longshot at best." Alivia decided. "That means we need to try and find clues. Anything that's helpful - so that means paint chips, skid marks that show us the direction they were heading, stuff like that."

"How are paint chips supposed to help us find the car?" I asked. Alivia gave me a look.

"There are databases that can track the car's manufacturer, Dani. Haven't you ever seen CSI?" She questioned.

"I didn't know you had." I countered. She shrugged.

"Morgan's hot." She said by way of explanation. "Sue me."

"Probably not, but I do have an idea of what we will do." Kaz mentioned. He gestured across the street, towards a few local restaurants, looking particularly at the 24-hour KFC. "What do you think the odds are that someone working in one of those restaurants saw what happened?"

"You wanna talk to them?" Skylar guessed. Kaz nodded.

"Sure." He looked at me, then nodded his head towards the restaurants. "Help me?"

"Sure." I agreed and began to follow him towards the restaurants. We crossed the road and started across the parking lot towards the KFC, but before we reached the doors, he pulled me off to the side.

"So..." He gave me a wide smile. "Tonight was fun. You know, aside from Liam, but that's...I mean..."

I chuckled a little at that. "I think you mean last night - it's nearly three in the morning now. And yeah, it was fun."

Kaz looked at me closely. "So...? What does this mean for us?"

"As in, are we back together?" I asked. I laughed nervously, running my hand through my hair. "Honestly, I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. That was just..."

"Impulsive? Spur of the moment?" Kaz offered. I nodded, and he smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like us."

"Do you even want to get back together?" I asked. Kaz frowned.

"Don't you?" He asked, his tone soft and uncertain.

"Of course I do." I grabbed his hand, looking at him sincerely. "God, breaking us up, that was the worst thing I've ever done. But you just broke up with Jessica, and I wasn't sure if you were looking for a relationship."

"What did you think last night, a post-break up hook-up?" He asked rhetorically. When I didn't answer, he gave me a smile. "Dani, I never got over you. When you were gone, it was easy to pretend, but ever since you've been back, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

"I know the feeling." I bit my lip, blushing a little. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been thinking about him non-stop, since even before Liam and Lily had gone missing. "So, we get back together?"

"I'm game." He agreed, leaning forward to kiss me. I let his lips brush against mine briefly before pulling back.

"We'll have plenty of time for that after we find the others." I reminded him. He rolled his eyes.

"Alright," he agreed, semi-reluctantly. "But as soon as they're back, I'm gonna rock your world."

"You better." I teased lightly.

 **AJ's POV**

So technically, I wasn't supposed to be listening in on their private meeting, but I just couldn't help myself; I wanted to know more. So I found myself sitting against the wall that separated a storage room and the conference room that the others were in, staying absolutely quiet as I eavesdropped on them. It was surprisingly easy to hear them through the wall, though I knew that if anyone walked in here I would be busted.

"So, they're being transported through Centium City?" Jessica sounded confused. I could hear the sounds of footsteps - someone was pacing across the room, either Miles or my grandfather, judging by the heaviness in the steps.

"Yes, but we have no idea where they're going, or where they came from." Oliver replied.

"That's not the point. What are the odds that they were being transported across this city? Of all cities? I mean, Liam and Lily were taken from New York and Kieran and Taylor from California. There's no reason why they'd be in the city." Jessica continued, sounding very thoughtful. "I mean, that can't be a coincidence."

"Jessica is right." Miles agreed, and the pacing stopped. "Why are they in Centium City?"

"I don't think that should be our priority." Arthur insisted.

"Why not?" Jessica asked quickly. "Figuring out their motives might help us figure out how to beat them."

"Unlikely. Whoever took the heroes have weapons and/or abilities, and neither of those need motives to be used." Faith declared, the sounds of her boots clicking on the ground as she walked into the conference room. "As far as I'm concerned, motive is only useful in court proceedings and sentencing. And we'll have plenty of time to figure all that out between their capture and their imprisonment."

"Where were you?" Miles questioned sharply.

"Working?" Faith reasoned.

"This early in the morning?" My mom questioned, speaking up for the first time during the meeting.

"I sent her on an assignment. I wasn't aware it would take go this long into the night." That was Agent Graham. "I agree with Agent Parker though; the motive is irrelevant at this point."

"Not if it hints at what they might do next." Miles argued, still siding with Jessica.

"Actually, we have an idea about that. Liam said they were interrogated about some sort of material. An alien artifact that they were desperate to get their hands on." Calla explained.

"Any idea what?" Faith questioned. There was a brief pause, then Calla answered.

"No idea. Liam's not sure. They weren't very clear when talking to him, and he suffered a head injury after his escape. His memory is a little off." She explained. I frowned. Did this have anything to do with the asteroid Calla was asking about? And if so, why wasn't she or Oliver telling my grandfather and the rest of the team about it?

"I'm sorry to hear that." Grandfather told her. "Hopefully his memory will return soon, but we should act as if it will not. What are you doing to locate the truck in which they were being moved?"

"The others are investigating the accident site, but we're not sure what they can get from it." Oliver explained.

"Send everything you've got to my lab. I'll analyze it, see what I can get you." Faith offered.

"Thanks, cuz." Calla told her. "But for now, do you think I can get access to any of your satellites? I'm thinking of using them to see if I can locate the truck, seeing as there are no security cameras, but the Davenport Industries one isn't in a good position to do so."

"I'm not sure ours are either, but you're welcome to check." Mom told her.

"Thanks." Calla replied. She paused again before continuing. "I don't suppose you know what that artifact is that they're looking for?"

"No idea." Miles replied. "But if we figure it out, we'll let you know."

"We appreciate it." Oliver replied.

"Keep us up to date on Mr. Bennett's condition. Agent Parker, if you would help Mrs. Davenport with the satellites, that'd be appreciated." Grandfather instructed. Neither Calla, Jessica, nor Oliver verbally responded, but I heard the sounds of disappearing footsteps, so I assumed that they must have left.

"Can I talk to you?" I heard Miles say to someone. I couldn't be sure who he said it to though, as there was no reply. A moment later though, my mom spoke up.

"He was hit by a car?" I heard her questioned.

"There was no serious harm done." Graham reminded her.

"I wasn't talking to you, Graham." Judging by her tone, my mother liked Agent Graham about as much as the Elite Force did. "Dad, can we speak in your office?"

"Of course, Sienna." He replied. I heard them leave, then decided that I should probably go to. I didn't know why everyone was being so secretive, but I knew where I should start looking: The Tamarack Lake Asteroid.

 **Rani's POV**

"All they had were orange-flavored. Someone should talk to Horace, get more of a variety of food he-what do you think you're doing?" I demanded. I'd just come back to Liam's room after he sent me on Jell-O run, only to find him attempting to pull his shirt over his head.

Liam froze when he heard me approach, twisting around at the sound of my voice. That proved to be a mistake, because he let out a gasp and nearly dropped to his knees. I dropped the Jell-O cup and rushed to him, grabbing his arm to steady him before he could fall completely. "Idiot." I muttered, pushing him back onto the bed. "You just got hit by a car."

"It didn't hit me that hard." He muttered. "She was driving pretty slow."

"She?" I frowned. Liam looked up, then gave me a thin smile.

"I think it was a lady who hit me. You know what they say about women drivers, after all." I gave him a look. "Not funny?"

"Not really. And it doesn't matter how hard she did or didn't hit you; you're still hurt, dummy." I reminded him, backing up and crossing my arms. "What were you doing?"

He finished adjusting his shirt, a grimace painted on his face. "We need to find the others, and I had an idea about that."

"Yeah? And you couldn't wait to tell me until I got back?" I questioned.

"I knew you wouldn't let me help." He reasoned.

"Damn straight I wouldn't!" I snapped. He sighed and looked at me in silent annoyance. "No, you don't get to look at me like that. I just got you back, I'm not going to lose you just because you don't trust the rest of our team to do the job right. And speaking of which, since when are you the one with trust issues?"

"It's not a matter of trust, Nyx. I just...I shouldn't have just left them there." He blurted out. I sighed, starting to understand where this was coming from. "I should have figure out a way for us all to escape."

"There was nothing you could do." I told him, sitting down and taking his hand. I gave him a smile. "You tried your best, things went wrong. Not your fault. Lily would tell you the same thing if she were here."

"I can't just sit here." Liam insisted. I looked away from him, trying to think of a way he could help without putting himself in danger again.

"You said you had an idea about how we could find the others?" I mentioned, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Oh, I hope that's true." We both looked up to see Alivia standing in the hallway, hands in her pockets. She gave Liam a smile. "Hey Liam, how're you doing?"

"Ready to get back out there, boss." He replied instantly. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at him. God, he was stubborn.

"Glad to hear it. That being said, you're going to have to get Horace, Kaz, Oliver, or Dani to clear you medically before I let you back out there." She told him. He opened his mouth to object, but she beat him to it. "No point in arguing, my mind is made up."

"I guess I will talk to one of them." Liam sighed. I flashed Alivia a smile, pleased to see that I wasn't the only one who agreed that he should hang back for a little bit.

"So, how'd it go at the accident site?" I inquired. She shrugged.

"Kaz and Dani struck out with eye witnesses. We managed to get some forensic evidence, but it all led back to a stolen vehicle from downtown."

"The car that hit you was a stolen vehicle?" I frowned, looking at Liam.

"Guess that explains why they didn't stop." He grumbled. He looked at Alivia. "So we have no way to track the truck that Lily and the others are in?"

"No." Alivia bit her lip, clearly upset with the situation. I hadn't even considered how she might feel, seeing me with Liam, happy, together, while her girlfriend was still missing and in danger. It must be killing her... "So," Alivia seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts, "you said you had an idea?"

"Yeah. I think, if we can't find the truck, we should focus on the artifact they were looking for. I mean, obviously, they're desperate to find it; why else would they kidnap and interrogate us about it for months?"

"You want to get to it first." I realized. He nodded eagerly.

"Not only will it give us a hint at what they're planning, but we could also use it to lay a trap." He continued. Alivia nodded thoughtfully.

"That's actually not a bad idea." She admitted. Liam smiled. "Um, okay. Yeah, I think the others will agree to that. Calla's already got a source working on it, but Rani, do you think you can find a spell in your spellbook that can track alien artifacts? Between S.H.I.R.T.'s resources, Calla's sources, and your magic, I'm sure we can narrow it down to the right artifact."

"There should be a spell in Dr. Wrath's book that will tell you how to find it, right?" Liam confirmed, looking at me. I nodded.

"There should. It's back at the Penthouse though..." I trailed off, wondering if I could convince her to go get it for me.

"For God's sake." Liam chuckled. He looked past me at Alivia. "I know I'm mission-cleared, but am I allowed to go back to the Elite Force's base to help Rani with that?""

Alivia looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Go." She allowed.

 **Xxx**

"Okay, so the satellites are useless." Calla announced, walking into the Penthouse with Oliver at her heels. She dropped onto the couch, leaning back into the cushions with a groan. "God, my back hurts."

"Why are the satellites useless?" Jaden asked, grabbing a couple of plates from the cupboard and piling what was left of the Chinese take-out we'd ordered onto them. He walked into the living room, handing a plate to Calla and Oliver each.

"Bad angles. The entire road is blocked from view by the surrounding buildings." Oliver explained before thanking Jaden for the food.

"Great, so there's no way to find the truck after all?" Chase questioned, frustrated.

"Unfortunately no." Calla sighed. She looked around at us desperately. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"We're going to find that artifact of theirs." I announced, placing my spellbook down. Calla and Oliver looked at me, surprised. "We're going to find it, and lure them into a trap with it."

"That's brilliant." Oliver realized, smiling despite his surprise.

"I do come up with the occasional good plan." Liam reasoned from where he was lying on the couch next to me.

"Sorry if we sound so surprised, Spotlight." Alivia put her hand on his shoulder. "We're just used to you supporting Rani's devious plans, not the other way around."

Liam didn't respond to that, just glanced at Calla. "By the way, I'm not sure if I said anything before, but congrats on the baby." He mentioned, changing the topic.

"Oh, thank you." Calla smiled, one hand rubbing her swollen belly. It seemed to be growing larger and larger every day, making her look as if she'd recently swallowed a basketball. Chase smiled proudly, sitting down next to his wife.

"Hey, when are you due again?" I inquired, counting the days we'd been here in my head. It had to be due soon, right? I mean, we'd already been here for nearly four and half months now.

"August 1st." Chase replied, beaming down at Calla.

"Alright, so we're going to track down the artifact and trick whoever took you and the others into coming for it? Do we have a plan for that?" Oliver inquired.

"Technology." "Magic." Calla and I responded at the same time. We both looked at each other sharply, offended that the other would think theirs would work better.

"I've been going through Dr. Wrath's spellbook to try and see if there's a tracking spell. His magic is darker than I'd like, but there've got to be some spells in here that'll work."

"What do you mean, darker?" Bree questioned suspiciously. I flipped through the book to a few of the pages that I'd marked with an X in the corner.

"To Destroy the Indestructible, To Control Your Enemies, To Raise the Dead, etcetera etcetera." I read through some of the spell titles before looking back up from the book. I moved my hand to pet Katy, Dani's cat, who had lied down on the arm of the couch. "These are the types of spells that require more than pure energy to cast. They require sacrifices, and Alivia's being a prude and saying I can't use those spells."

"Yes, because not wanting you to commit murder is 'being a prude'." Chase declared sarcastically.

"I didn't mean people. But, I mean, there are dogs, cats, those ducklings we have back in New York. Animals work just as well." I reasoned, eyeing Dani. Her eyes widened at the implications.

"Katy!" She called, reacting the way I knew she would. The cat bolted away from, charging at her owner, who scooped her up and held the grey and white cat close to her chest.

"I was kidding, geez." I rolled my eyes at the looks everyone was giving me. Dani stared at me for a moment, then tilted Katy's face upwards.

"You are sleeping with me tonight." She told the cat. She yawned. "Is anyone else tired? I don't think I got more than a couple of hours of sleep."

"I don't think any of us did." Kaz mentioned. "Hey, MISS? What time is it?"

"5:09 AM." The AI's response was met by a series of groans in complaint.

"Screw it, I'm crashing." Skylar muttered, heading for the stairs.

"I'm with her." Dani agreed. She glanced at Kaz, who muttered his agreement.

"I want a coffee so bad right now." Calla whimpered. She looked down at her stomach. "Sweetheart, I love you, but can you come out just a little early so Momma can hit up a Starbucks?" After a moment, she let out a surprised laugh, her hand moving across her stomach. "Oh my God, she kicked at the word Starbucks."

"Not even out of the womb yet, and your kid wants a coffee. Yeah, that tracks." Jaden shook his head. He glanced at Bree, who was soothing a stirring Noah in her arms. "Should we go?"

"Yeah. We'll be back in a few hours, after we get some sleep." Bree agreed.

"I think that's what the rest of us are going to do too." Chase agreed.

"I'm going to stay up, actually. Work on these." I mentioned, holding up the book.

"And I think I've slept enough for one day." Liam added. He looked at me. "Need some help with the spellbooks?"

"Yeah, actually. You mind grabbing me some notebooks from downstairs? I want to write down the ones I need to memorize." I suggested.

"Sure." He agreed, gingerly pushing himself off the couch. He paused, looking around. MISS opened the doors to Mission Command for him and he gave me a smirk before heading down to the basement level.

"Hey, Oliver?" I called, stopping him from heading upstairs with the others. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" The cryokinetic asked, crossing his arms and biting back a yawn.

"Uh, Liam's probably going to ask you to clear him for missions, since Liv won't let him go on any without getting medically cleared. I was wondering if you could hold off for a while?"

"Well, I wasn't about to clear him right away anyway. At least not until his ribs start healing and the concussion is gone." Oliver assured me. "Was that what you were worried about?"

"I...maybe." I shrugged. "He's just...something feels...not wrong, but..."

"What are you trying to say, Rani?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Honestly, I have no idea." I admitted, sighing. "I mean, this is perfect. He's back and he...and he's been perfect and loving and he's acting like his old self, but at the same time, there's something off about it, you know?"

"No, I don't." Oliver admitted. I sighed.

"It just seems all too good to be true. Maybe it's just me, but just to be sure, can you...?" I trailed off, hoping he'd get my meaning. Thankfully, he nodded.

"Alright, sure. But if he's mission ready and we get a lead on the others, I have to tell him he can go. But anything less I'll tell him to stay back until we know he's alright." He told me. I nodded.

"Fair enough." I agreed. He nodded and headed off to bed. I sighed and sat back on the couch, trying to shake the feeling. It had been bugging me for a couple of hours now, and I just couldn't ignore it. Maybe it WAS me - I had trust issues, I knew that, and trusting that something like this was real and good, that was hard for me, so maybe it was all in my head. But I just couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was not right here.

 **AJ's POV**

"What's down here?" I wondered, slipping into the dark underground hallway. Between all the lies and all the secrets that everyone was keeping from each other, I'd decided to take things into my own hands. Sure, I had still set my computer to search through S.H.I.R.T.'s files for any mention of that Asteroid, but while the search was in progress, I'd decided to start snooping for the truth on my own. And that started with S.H.I.R.T.'s base. After accidently finding the Elite Force's mission command a few years ago by tracking their energy use, I'd gotten into the habit of scanning for energy use in all locations the team had been investigating. And when I'd scanned S.H.I.R.T.'s energy use, I hadn't surprised to find that there was a secret area of the base. At the time, I had guessed that it was a secret lab or something, like the Elite Force's (Faith would just love to have one, of that I was sure), but now that I was down here, I wasn't so sure.

The hallway was dark and dimly lit, with the faint odor of mold in the air. For a moment, I wondered if they had just sectioned this area off and had forgotten about it (after all, I only managed to get into here through a hidden entrance in the tunnels), but then I saw the light at the end of the hall and decided to investigate.

I slowly approached the light, mindful that if I got caught down here, I was going to be in huge trouble. That's why, when I saw the two agents playing cards in front of a heavy-looking door, I hid.

What was behind that door? What were they guarding? Well, I was going to find out, for surely it had to be important.

I waited in my hiding spot for a long while, waiting for my opportunity to sneak in. Finally, one of the agents left the game, perhaps heading for a bathroom break. I waited another moment, then quietly unlatched my watch. Craning my neck to make sure that the guard couldn't see me, I tightened my grip on the watch, then threw it down the hall with all my might. The watch hit the ground hard, clattering loudly against the metal tiles.

That certainly got his attention, because another moment later I was forced to press myself even closer to the wall. The guard passed me by on his way to investigate the noise, unaware that I was hiding in the darkness. As soon as he passed, I slipped into the hall and raced for the door he'd been guarding. I slipped inside without a word, stepping into the dimly lit room without him noticing.

This room much different than I expected, with a small pathway leading between four cells made of glowing, blue, power-nullifying bars. While that alone should have surprised me, the more shocking part was that I wasn't alone in the room either.

"AJ? AJ Henig?" Kieran Daniels, one of the bionic heroes who'd gone missing, stood up, revealing his presence in the closest cell on my left. Across from him was his girlfriend, Taylor Krane.

"Wait, as in Calla's assistant, AJ?" She questioned, slowly getting to her feet. I noticed that she wasn't wearing her cool, high-tech glasses that she normally did. In fact, she was simply wearing a light grey tank top and grey sweatpants. Lily wore the same, sitting on the ground in the cell behind Taylors.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded even as she smiled. Another voice, coming from the cell behind Kieran, spoke up before I could reply.

"Isn't it obvious, Lils? He's here to break us out." Shocked, I made my way towards the source of the voice. Liam Bennett smirked back at me, amused by my shocked expression. "I'm right, aren't I? The Elite Force sent you in for recon?'

"Spotlight?" I demanded, staring at him, my mind racing.

"The one and only." He replied. I shook my head slowly.

"No. Not really." I murmured, reeling from this news. This didn't make sense. If Liam was here, then who was with the Elite Force right now?

I'd started to back up, knowing that running back to Chase and the others was the best thing I could do right now, when another voice spoke up. "You're not supposed to be down here."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: I sure love my cliffhangers, don't I? Anyway, tell me what you guys thought! Do you hate me for the twist with Liam? I feel like some of you hate me. Lol, I do want to know what you guys thought. What did you like? What didn't you like? Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few weeks, starting with the midseason premier:**

 **June 22** **nd** **– The Truth**

 **June 29** **th** **– 42**

 **July 6** **th** **– Break and Entry**

 **Oh, and before I forget, the final tivia question is the following: what character has more than one tattoo on his or her body? And, for a bonus point, what does the tattooed phrase mean?**

 **Good luck guys!**


	46. The Truth

**Kihonne: Alright folks, I'm back, with The Truth! I hope you guys like the chapter, because it's certainly an interesting one. But before we can move onto chapters, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: No one likes cliffhangers, but they do make things more interesting, don't they? I don't think anyone ever truly trusted S.H.I.R.T. – most of you seemed to figure out that little twist the moment I introduced them, so kudos to you guys. By the way, thanks for pointing that mistake out. I originally planned to have Faith talk to them, but changed my mind to Miles and apparently didn't finish fixing the names and such. It's now fixed. Good theory on Faith and Miles – keep reading to see if you're right. As for your guess, I'm afraid you're only partially correct. Dani was the right person, but the phrase translates into 'home is where the heart is'. Good guess though. You currently have 4/6 points, putting you in 5** **th** **place. I'm sorry, but you won't be in the draw for any of the prizes. Thanks for playing though, and you did really well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Yeah, you're not the only one who didn't trust S.H.I.R.T., though you are the first person to cite that as part of your reason. Interesting theory that that has something to do with S.H.I.R.T.'s plans, and not just Faith freaking out over something in the tunnel. Thanks so much for pointing out that little detail – it's always refreshing to see that my more subtle bits of foreshadowing aren't completely missed. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too. Also, great job on the questions! You have 6/6 and are currently in a 4-way tie for 1** **st** **place. The draw will take place tomorrow and I will message you with the results. Good luck!**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I had a feeling you would react like this. While I was writing the chapter, I told my brother 'they're going to hate me for this' while laughing. I think I enjoy screwing with your guys emotions a little too much, lol. As for Jazz, I was thinking maybe someone like Quvenzhané Wallis, but I didn't really have an actress if mine when I designed her, so if you have a better suggestion, please let me know. As for the car, that was definitely too much of a coincidence. Yes, I did do this to you. I also did it to Rani, who is not going to take that well when she finds out. That's going to be an interesting reaction to write. Don't worry, you will get to see proper Rani/Liam scenes before the story is over – I just wanted to play a little with Rani's (and all of your) heartstrings before giving them a real moment. Though, I admit, I was originally going to go with Kieran instead of Liam, but I figured this would have a bigger emotional impact on the characters and the readers, and by the looks of things, I was right. As for the suspicions, Rani does know Liam the best, as you said, so she's most likely to spot it. Ooh, and who is the fake Liam? That's going to be a really interesting reveal, and I do have pretty big plans involving him. Yes, S.H.I.R.T. can't be trusted, you called that one. Interesting theories about who's on which side. You'll find out soon, I promise. As for AJ, well…keep reading. I'm glad you're excited, especially for 42. I'm really excited for it too. It's one of the chapters I've been most looking forward to this season, so I think you'll enjoy it. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Rani: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all its OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Rani's POV**

"So, what have we got?" Chase questioned, pacing in front of the cyber table.

"Well, I've created an algorithm that can differentiate between regular radiation waves and the kind that come from extraterrestrial types of radiation." Calla announced, waving her hand towards a few charts and several long numbers on it. I didn't understand it at all, but Chase looked impressed when he looked it over, so it must have been really good. "It won't work on a world-wide scale, but give me a location, and I can decipher whether or not it's worth looking at for this artifact of theirs."

"And what about the magic side of things?" Alivia turned to me expectantly. I sighed.

"I found a spell that pretty much does the same thing. It won't work on big scale, but I can work with a 10-mile radius."

"That's great and all, but the world's a pretty big place. Centium City alone is massive." Skylar pointed out. "Isn't there a better way to do this?"

"My tech is limited by scope." Calla replied apologetically before looking at me. "You?"

"I've got a couple of spells, but they either require a black magic sacrifice or actually having a piece of the artifact in question." I explained.

"Well, we can't just pick and guess." Liam insisted, leaning on the cyber table. "Is there a better way to find it, outside of tech or magic? We're running out of time, and we don't even know if either of those ideas will even work."

"You doubt me?" I questioned, looking at him. He gave me a look.

"Of course not. But magic is unreliable at times, you know that." He pointed out. I leaned back in my chair, not wanting to admit that he was right.

"Wait, does the algorithm have to be used from here, or can we put it on devices?" Alivia suggested, looking at Calla. Calla smiled.

"I can make something portable for them." She agreed before narrowing her eyes at the redhead. "What's the plan?"

"Why don't we split into teams and start working our way out from the city? It'll be slow, but it'll still be faster than doing it from here." The Irish hero suggested. Bree nodded in agreement.

"That sounds good." She agreed.

"Great, let's go." Liam agreed. Alivia raised her hand to stop him.

"You're not going." She announced.

"C'mon, Liv. I'm ready to go." Liam insisted.

"You're not medically cleared yet." Alivia insisted. Liam looked at Kaz and the twins desperately, but none of them would meet his gaze, all of them having agreed to keep him back for a few more days."

"I need to be a part of this." Liam argued.

"And you can, from back here." Calla offered him a smile. "I don't have time to watch Noah and work on this."

"You want me to babysit?!" Liam demanded.

"Hey, blame AJ. He's not answering his phone, and Jazz can't babysit because she's on shift." Jaden reasoned. Liam scowled, but didn't argue further, knowing that it would be a waste of time.

"Now that that's settled. Rani, you come with me, we'll start west of the city. Dani-" Alivia began.

"I'll take Kaz." The electrokinetic offered, trying to look bored as she said it. Something was going on between those two, I could tell. Something had been different since we got back to Centium City, but with everything going on, I hadn't had the chance to ask about it yet.

"You guys go east then. Bree, Jaden and I will go North, Oliver and Skylar, go south." Chase decided.

"You guys go get ready, I'll upload the algorithm into some handheld devices for you." Calla offered, pushing her out of her seat and heading towards the equipment room. The others began to disperse but I stayed where I was and turned to Liam. "Will you be okay?" I asked. He glanced over at Noah, who was lying on a blanket near the cyber table, smacking his hand against a blue plastic block.

"Babysitting, yay." Liam replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

 **Xxx**

"Alright, let's move a little more south east, see if we can find something there." I announced when my spell came back with nothing. "Good idea?"

Alivia nodded silently, a thoughtful look on her face. I sighed, leading her down the sidewalk as we neared the edge of the city. After a few more minutes of silent walking through the city, I sighed. "We'll find her, Geminus."

"I know. I'm fine." She insisted. I stopped and gave her a look. "I am."

"I believe you." I lied, rolling my eyes.

"I am fine." She snapped at me, pushing past me. I jogged to keep up with her, staying close.

"Okay, sure. But we will find her, and the bionic duo too. And then you and Lily can go take a vacation somewhere. God knows you've earned it." I promised her. She glanced at me and gave me a smile.

"Is that what you and Liam are going to do?" She asked. I hesitated, then shrugged. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I assured her.

"Don't lie to me." She told me simply, her tone not quite accusing me of anything, but definitely leaving no room for argument.

"I just...it's hard to explain." I tried to brush it off, but Alivia wasn't having it.

"Try." She encouraged, turning down another road. When I didn't reply right away, she continued, her tone gentler this time. "Did you guys talk about the 'I love you' thing? If he didn't say it back, Rani, you have to remember, you're the first serious girlfriend he's had; he's probably scared or something."

"No, actually he did say he loved me." She frowned at that.

"Then what's the problem?" She asked, confused. "That's a good thing, right? You guys are good?"

"We're great, actually. Perfect." I replied. "But...perfect, that's not who we are. It's not who I am, so how can things be perfect? It just feels wrong. Like it's too good to be true."

"Rani," she gave me this sad look. "You do know that sometimes people get their happy endings, right? Even you."

"That's not it." I shook my head. "There's just something off about him."

"He's been through a lot. Has he talked to you about what happened?" She asked. I shook my head.

"There hasn't been time." I reasoned. "But I just can't shake this feeling."

Alivia looked at me, considering what I'd said. "Keep an eye on him." She said eventually. "If he keeps acting off, we'll revisit the issue. But give him a chance first, alright?"

"Alright." I agreed. She smiled at me.

"Chin up. It's probably all in your head." She reasoned. I nodded, hoping she was right.

 **AJ's POV**

I bounced my knee anxiously, eyeing the two agents that were watching over me with a nervous hole in my stomach. I knew that I was shaking, but try as I might, I just couldn't stop it.

Not until the door to the conference room opened up and my mom came in, almost jogging to my side. She knelt down in front of me as my grandfather and Agent Graham walked in. "Are you okay, baby?" Mom demanded, ignoring them as she reached up to run her hand through my curly hair. I didn't answer her, couldn't answer her, so I just stared.

"I found him in the underground containment facilities." Graham explained.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Mom snapped at him before turning back to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. What's going on, Mom?" I whispered, not understanding. "Why were they down there? And if Spotlight's down there, who is with the Elite Force?"

"It's a long story, honey." Mom told me.

"And I want to hear it." I argued, ticked off. She'd always been protective of me, and I had the feeling that this wasn't a situation mothers typically wanted their kids involved in, but the Elite Force were my friends. And those people they were holding against their will in their underground cells? They were my friends too. "I deserve answers!"

"Answers about what?" Jessica questioned, opening the conference door. Faith and Miles were right behind her, looking around curiously at the scene.

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Faith confirmed.

"Just Agent Parker and Agent Henderson. Agent DeCook, would you go make sure those reports coming in from analytics are accurate?" My grandfather requested. Miles nodded, and though he looked confused by what was going on, he walked away.

"What did I miss?" Jessica questioned, looking at me uncertainly.

"He found the heroes in Cell Block A." Graham explained. Faith cocked her head to the side, seeming unsurprised by the news.

"I told you he would start snooping around." The scientist commented.

"What is going on?" I demanded, my voice louder this time. My mom opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. "Don't tell me it's a long story. You kidnapped my friends, I deserve an explanation."

"We're trying to save the world, kid." Faith told me, starting to sound a little annoyed with my insistence on the truth. I rolled my eyes at that, not falling for her crap.

"The hell you are." I retorted.

"AJ!" Mom scolded. My grandfather raised his hand, giving her a look.

"Sienna." He warned gently before looking at me. "You can't just trust us, Andrew?" I scowled at the use of my first name. I'd never liked being called Andrew Jacob, but my parents had named me after some distant Great Uncle I'd never met, and my grandfather insisted on it over my chosen name. "We are family."

"Yeah, and that's why I've kept my mouth shut up until now. The Elite Force has no idea about what Mom can do, about you or Uncle Carson, or about who you really are. I mean, if you even told me the truth about that."

Judging by the looks he and my mother exchanged, I had the feeling that they'd lied to me about that too. "Look, I kept your secrets because we're family. But now, because I'm family, you owe me an explanation." I pushed them.

My grandfather snorted in amusement, so I turned to the others. Graham was looking at me condescendingly, Faith looked genuinely bored being here, and Jessica was just watching us silently, looking as if she felt uncomfortable with the situation. By the looks of things, none of them would be much help to me. But that didn't stop me from trying.

"You said you were saving the world. What did you mean by that?" I questioned, calling on Faith. She glanced at my grandfather, not wanting to say anything without his permission, then, after he nodded, she sat down on the edge of the conference table.

"We're going to stop the bionic and superheroes once and for all." She declared, smiling in pleasure at the idea. I sucked in a breath. Though I'd had a feeling that their plan involved the destruction of the Elite Force and the other hero teams, it still worried me to hear out loud. Unlike Roddisieus, unlike Bridget, S.H.I.R.T. had the resources to accomplish their plan. Not only did they have the numbers, but they were an agency focused on dealing with people with their exact abilities.

"Calla and Jaden are your family, your own blood." I pointed out. I gave my grandfather and mother a sideways glance. "What happened to family being the most important thing?"

"Calla and Jaden aren't bionic, they don't have superpowers." Faith shrugged. She glanced at the others. "There's no need for them to die."

A part of me wanted to argue that Calla DID had powers, and even if she didn't, there was no way that she or her brother would stand by and let their friends die. But for now, I would keep that information to myself.

"Why though?" I asked instead, trying to understand what was going through their heads. I didn't know my grandfather all that well, but I KNEW my mother wasn't a bad person. She'd always done whatever she could to make sure I had a good life, including working three jobs just to send me to one of the top private schools in the city. She couldn't really be a villain...could she?

"That's a little above your paygrade, squirt." Graham retorted. Mom sent him a cold look, then gave me a soft smile.

"I think what he means is that you shouldn't get involved, honey." She told me.

"He already is." Faith pointed out. She looked at the others. "Please tell me I'm not the only one worried about what he'll say when he leaves."

"I'm sure he'll keep the secret." Jessica reasoned, speaking up for the first time since she'd entered the room.

"Don't be stupid." "The hell I will." Graham and I replied at the same time.

"Then we can't allow him to leave. It's that simple." Faith pointed. Mom stood up at that, turning to face the agent.

"You are not locking my son up in those damp little cells." She snarled protectively.

"Well, we can't just let him walk out here." Graham argued. Mom opened her mouth to yell at him, but my grandfather stopped her.

"Enough." He cautioned. Mom sent him a glare, ticked off, but he then added, "Graham is right that Andrew-"

"AJ, Dad." She corrected him, cutting him off. I couldn't help but smile a little at that. My grandfather stared at her for a moment before continuing.

"AJ can't leave the base, lest we risk the Elite Force discovering our plans. Letting him get so close to them in the first place was a dangerous risk and a mistake."

"I didn't find out who was on the team until months after he befriended them." She muttered, annoyed. "And besides, you try telling a teenager who they're allowed to be friends with and see if they listen to you."

"Nevertheless, we can't let him go back to them. He will stay here. However," he quickly continued when my mother started to object, "I have a compromise so that he won't have to stay in those cells. He will be safe, cared for, and comfortable. Agreed?"

"Mom, no." I begged her, hoping that she would refuse and take me home. I didn't know what his compromise was, but I wasn't about to stay here if I had a choice.

"Agreed." She sighed after a moment.

"Good. Now, Agent Henderson, why don't you go check the audio feeds to see how 'Liam' is getting along with his teammates?"

 **Rani's POV**

"Anything?" Liam questioned as we walked into mission command. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him trying to hold Noah in a comfortable position as the kid squirmed and cried. "Bree, would you...?"

"Here." Bree smiled, holding her arms out. Liam gratefully placed Noah back in her arms, scowling when the kid stopped crying the moment he was away from the superhero.

"Well, I'm guessing by the fact that you came back here empty-handed that you didn't find it?" Calla questioned. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground by the cyber table, surrounded by tools and machine parts.

"Uh, no. Babe, what are you doing?" Chase asked, bending down in front of her to look her in the eyes.

"I'm trying to create a device that will amplify the effects of my algorithm." She explained.

"No, I see that. I just mean, why are you on the ground?" He asked slowly. Calla thought about it, then shrugged.

"It's more comfortable." She reasoned. Bree chuckled in amusement, clearly having been there when she was pregnant with Noah.

"How come you're not helping her?" Jaden asked, glancing at Liam.

"She would not let me." He replied. Kaz chuckled at that, amused.

"Yeah, that's Calla for you." He patted Liam on the back, then leaned on the desk nearest to the tunnel entrance. "Anyway, we went over the entire city, it's not here, or within a thirty mile radius of the city itself."

"We can't keep searching like this." Oliver leaned on the desk next to his best friend. "I took us three hours to check that much, and if it's not in the city, it could be anywhere in the world."

"There's got to be an easier way to do this." Skylar looked at Calla and I hopefully. Somewhere along the line, people started turning to us whenever they had a plan. It didn't seem to bother Calla how often she had been called upon to make the impossible a reality, but for me, I wasn't quite used to the attention. It made me miss the League, actually, where there wasn't as much pressure on my shoulders to solve everybody's problems with magic.

"That's the point of this." Calla gestured at the mess of machine parts around her. "It's not a total solution and it's just a prototype, but it should amplify the devices to work at a 50-mile radius instead of 10."

"Great. So it'll take us almost forever instead of actually forever. Great." Liam muttered. I sent him a concerned look but didn't comment. He was so focused on finding this artifact. I understood why, but this level of focus and aggressive determination, it just wasn't like him. I was the one who worked too hard at things, he was supposed to be the relaxed one. It just so out of character for him...

I wasn't the only one looking at him either. Alivia seemed to be watching Liam out of the corner of her eye, a frown on her face.

Luckily, Calla didn't seem to notice his remark. In fact, the only ones that appeared to have heard it were Alivia, Skylar, and I. Skylar didn't look like she liked his comment, but she didn't respond to it, instead turning to the team.

"Alright, I say the rest of us go shower, change, and see if we can come up with any ways that this might go a little faster. No offense, Calla, but I think we'd all like some options to work with." Skylar gave her a smile.

"None taken. Go ahead. I'm going to stay and work on this." Calla waved us away. Instead of leaving though, Chase pulled off his mission suit jacket, tossed it onto the cyber desk, and sat down besides his wife. "I can do this, Chase."

"I know you can, but it's been a while since we've worked on a project together." He reminded her. She smiled at him, looking at him lovingly.

"Too long." She agreed before nodding at one piece of machine. "Alright, you calibrate that, I'll do this?"

"Let's let them be cute together." Bree told us, pushing us towards the hyperlift. Once we were all on the main floor, we all began to split up, doing our own things.

"So, how was babysitting?" Dani joked, heading to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

"I hate kids." Liam told him, shaking his head. Dani stopped rummaging through the cupboards and glanced at me, one eyebrow raised questioningly. I frowned.

"Since when? I thought you said you wanted kids when you go married." I mentioned, a little surprised by the comment.

"That was before I spent time with one." He told me quickly. I bit my lip, but decided not to push the subject of children further.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" I asked instead, offering him a smile before jerking my thumb at the veranda.

"What's wrong with here?" He questioned, confused.

"Oh, I just - I don't want Liv to overhear. I just want to run an idea by you before I talk to her about it." I explained. Liam nodded and followed me out onto the veranda.

"What's up, Rani?" He asked, confused.

"Well," I started to pace slowly, ringing my hands as I did. I wasn't sure how he would respond to what I was going to say, though I was even more unsure of how I wanted him to respond, "I was going through Dr. Wrath's spellbook last night, and there was a spell in it about locating things that don't belong to this world."

"Like alien things?" He questioned.

"I think it was more intended for items with magical properties, but I'm pretty sure I can modify it to find the alien artifact." As expected, he beamed at the idea.

"That's great, Rani! Why didn't you say something earlier?" He demanded, eyes alit with excitement.

"Because it's one of the spells that requires a sacrifice to make it work." I explained. He stopped, nodding in understanding.

"Ah. Yeah, Alivia's not going to go for that." He realized. I bit my lip and smiled at him nervously, grabbing his hands.

"Well, I was thinking that we use the ducks." I told him. He raised an eyebrow, not quite following me, so I gave him an encouraging smile. "Oh, don't play dumb, Liam. Those ducks that followed you home from the park would make the perfect sacrifice; they're harmless creatures, they're ours so it's not like Alivia can object, and I don't think she would anyway, considering how annoyed she was when she found out you brought all of them home with you. At least, she didn't seem to find any of my duck jokes funny, so I don't think she liked them."

"And the ducklings would work?" Liam questioned, looking at me closely.

"Yes, and we wouldn't have to use all of them either. Just one." I told him, watching him. "So? Can we use our ducklings?"

"Absolutely." He told me, smiling. I forced a smile onto my face, my mind racing. There had been a small part of me that had hoped he would respond differently, but now that I knew the truth, or at least part of the truth, I felt that hope die within me.

"Great." I told him, hoping that what I was feeling wouldn't show in my eyes. "Let's go tell the others, shall we?"

"Let's go." He offered me his hand and I took it obediently, following him inside. "Hey, Rani's got an idea."

"That didn't take long." Oliver chuckled as he came down the stairs. He stopped on the bottom one and looked back up the stairs. "Skylar, Alivia! Team meeting!"

Slowly, the team began to file into the living room. I couldn't move from where I was standing behind the couch, feeling sick to my stomach.

Most of the team began to gather in the living room, with the exception of Calla and Chase, whom the team agreed wouldn't be bothered until we had a real plan, so that they could get as much work done on the prototype as possible. As Alivia came down the stairs, hair still wet from the shower we'd no doubt pulled her from. She didn't look mad about that though, just a little confused, an expression that altered slightly when she saw me. Her brow furrowed in concern, but only for a brief second.

"This had better be good." She commented coolly, sitting down on the blue chair that faced us.

"It is." Liam assured he. He looked at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat.

"So, there's a spell in Dr. Wrath's spellbook. It can track anything not of this world, magical or alien, so we could use it to find the artifact. But it requires a sacrifice." I explained carefully, eyes on Alivia the entire time.

"Wait, you were serious about that?" Oliver questioned, shocked. "Rani, we're heroes; we do not kill, especially not for some sacrificial magic spell. I thought you explained this to her." He shot the last comment at Alivia and his sister.

"We did." Alivia assured him before looking at us. "Murder isn't what we do, Rani. Liam, I'm shocked you'd go along with this."

"It's not murder that we're talking about." Liam promised her. "Well, not a human murder."

"Okay, we are keeping you two away from Glitch and Katy." Bree decided.

"We're talking about the ducklings." I told her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Alivia began, only to be cut off by a question of Jaden's.

"What ducklings?" he asked, confused. Noah was in his arms, his tiny hands grabbing at the ends of Jaden's sleeves.

"There were a group of ducklings that followed me home from the park a while ago." Liam explained. Dani and Alivia both leaned back in their seats, eyes darting between my and Liam's faces. "We figured that since they're ours, we should get to decide what happens to them."

"I just want to clarify, you want to use _your_ ducklings, the baby ducks that followed _you_ home from the park, as part of a sacrifice?" Dani questioned. Alivia looked at me, and I shook my head minutely, relieved that they too had picked up on it.

"Yes. Look, I know killing baby animals isn't a good thing, nor is it the heroic thing, but if it means getting our friends back, I think we should consider it." Liam insisted. Dani nodded, wide eyes still on him. She stood up, but before she could do anything, Alivia spoke up.

"Jaden, why don't you go get Calla and Chase? I think this should be a group decision." She told him. He frowned at being told to leave, but didn't argue.

"Sure." He agreed. He carried Noah over to the hyperlift. The moment they were gone, Alivia took a deep breath.

"Okay." She murmured, and all hell broke loose. I pulled away from Liam, tearing my hand out of his just as Dani raised her own hand. A ball of electricity burst from her hand and charged at Liam, breaking apart at the last second to surround him a an electrical field in the shape of a cage.

The others all stood up in shock, confused and angry. "What the hell, Dani?" Skylar demanded, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Look, Dee, I know you're Miss PETA and everything, but this is a little extreme, isn't it?" Kaz questioned, stepping forward to block Liam from her line of sight.

"What, are you working for your mother again?" Liam demanded, pissed off. He looked at me. "Rani, get me out of here."

I shook my head, backing away from him slightly.

"What the hell is going on here?" Chase demanded as he, Calla, Jaden, and Noah got to the main floor. He took one look at the electrical cage before turning to Dani. "Since when can you do that?"

"Trick I picked up while working with the League." Dani explained, smirking. Her hand was still outstretched, her concentration on the cage necessary to keep it there.

"Dani just attacked Liam." Bree explained, staring at Dani in shock.

"No, she didn't." I murmured, finding my voice. Clearing it, I began again, louder this time. "She didn't attack Liam. I don't know who she attacked, but he isn't Liam."

"What are you talking about?" Calla asked, confused.

"A few months ago, Alan and Frostbite went to the park and a bunch of ducklings decided Alan was their mother and followed him home. Alan." Alivia glared at the fake Liam. "Not Liam, Alan. You got your facts wrong, imposter."

"You're insane." 'Liam' snapped. But by now, everyone on the team had turned on him, no longer falling for his tricks.

"Magic you think?" Kaz asked, glancing at me. I frowned, considering it.

" _Occidit omnes magicae in aere."_ I declared, raising my hands. When I didn't feel my own magic activate, I shook my head. "There aren't any spells in the air."

"Tech then? Something to change his appearance?" Oliver asked. Calla bit the inside of her cheek, then glanced at Dani.

"Rani, step away the cage." She instructed as she pulled out her phone. She tossed it onto the couch, then held her hand out as I walked backwards, only stopping when I felt Alivia's hand on my arm. A proton disk formed in the palm of Calla's hand and she gripped it tightly. "Hey, Dani, you know what an ESD is?"

The corner of Dani's lip turned upwards into a sly smile. "Yes, I do." She replied, pleased by Calla's idea.

"You do?" Apparently, Calla hadn't been expecting that answer. She shook her self from it and approached the cage. "Well, this is going to be fun."

She smirked, and then, still gripping the disk, slammed into the electrical 'bars' of Dani's cage in front of his face, causing the entire room to flash white.

 **AJ's POV**

"This is kidnapping!" I snarled, furious. I was angry at my grandfather who ordered this to happen, angry at my mother, who allowed it to happen, angry at all the agents who were helping them. Even Jessica, who had accompanied me down to what looked like my new home, was a target for my hatred.

"There are worse ways to live." Jessica commented, but judging from the uncomfortable look on her face and the way she crossed her arms, she clearly wasn't happy with it either. Still, she wasn't wrong. Instead of putting me in a cell like my friends, I'd been given one of the offices to stay in. A pullout couch had been brought in for me to sleep on, along with a TV (no cable, but it had a Roku attached so I could access Netflix if I wanted to) and a few of my video games and books from home. I even had access to my own bathroom. The problem was, I had no phone, no computer, nothing I could use to call for help.

"It doesn't matter. This is kidnapping, and wrong." I insisted, glaring at the blonde haired agent. She gave me a look.

"Think of it as more of a grounding." She suggested. "Just until the plan is complete. Your mom is just looking out for you."

"Yeah, speaking of that plan, it sucks." I declared, dropping down onto the pullout couch.

"It's hard for you to understand." Jessica began. I shook my head.

"No. I understand it. You want to stop them; you're not the first and you certainly won't be the last." I replied, shaking my head before fixing her with a cold stare. "You want to know what I really don't understand? You."

"Me." Jessica hummed, not quite following but humoring me all the same. I nodded.

"Ignoring my family, because they're apparently all lunatics, I understand why everyone is doing what they're doing. Graham's a dick who already has reason to hate the bionic heroes, Faith's a mad scientist who probably just wants this alien artifact that everyone's so up in arms about, and Miles, well, I'm guessing he's even more in the dark than I am and the only reason he's here at all is because Faith wanted him close by when things went to shit." Jessica didn't bother denying any of it, so I figured I was dead on about Miles. "But you...I don't get it. Calla's your friend; how can you do this to her?"

"To her?" Jessica repeated, staring at me. She shook her head, lips pressed together in a thin line. "I'm doing this for her."

"How?" I questioned, shaking my head. She sighed. "Why do you want the Elite Force dead?"

"I don't want them dead. I want them locked away, there's a difference." Jessica insisted. She shook her head, then let out a breath. "They're dangerous."

"They're heroes." I argued.

"For now, maybe. But no one is perfect, no one is always good. Everything we've seen over the last five years proves that they're dangerous. Victor Krane and his plan to brainwash the entire world, the children of Roddisieus and their attacks against two hospitals - both Mighty Med and the civilian one that hid them from the world - and Centium City as a whole, Bridget Short and her plan for world domination...people with powers have the ability to destroy this world and every innocent soul in it."

"The Elite Force aren't like that. Neither are the bionic heroes or the New League of Heroes." I argued. Jessica looked at me, eyes sad.

"You say that, but you haven't seen what I've seen. Adam Davenport has sent 10 people to the hospital while trying to protect Leo Dooley from a group of people who were protesting against their bionic abilities. Rani Shore has committed several violent crimes while working for Doctor Wrath, and yet she never saw any jail time. Spike...well, let's just say, you wouldn't like Chase when he's angry." She had begun to pace, but now she stopped cold, standing in front of the door that was being guarded by two agents. "Nearly three years ago, Dani Short killed a man named Roddiseus – it doesn't matter what he did or didn't do, she murdered him – then joined her mother's terrorist organization, and yet there she is, free and working alongside your Elite Force. Tell me, AJ, would you call any of that justice?"

That was a hard point to argue, especially knowing that Dani had allowed her mother to kill my uncle in the process of her undercover mission. "They put much more good in the world than they do bad." I insisted, though I felt my argument weakening. Jessica smiled.

"I'm sure they do, for now. But there has to be consequences for their actions, kid, and right now, they can do whatever they want, get away with anything, including murder apparently." She told me. "With their abilities and their training, they could take over the world, and we'd be powerless to stop them."

"So, you what? Joined S.H.I.R.T. to stop them before they can commit any crimes?" I challenged. "That's wrong."

"We're taking preemptive measures, that's all. We can't have people like that running around, doing whatever they want." She told me, her tone gentle. I sighed.

"You said you were doing this for Calla. Where does she fit into this?" I questioned. "You do know that she and Jaden will never stop fighting for the Elite Force."

"Yeah, I figured that out a while back, actually. Calla, she...we used to be best friends, before Bree came along, you know that?" She asked me.

"Don't tell me this is petty jealousy." I scoffed at the very idea. To my surprise, Jessica laughed a little at that.

"No, no. Of course not. I just mean, I still care about her. And I know her really well. Calla's a good scientist, but what prevents her from being truly great is that she values her heart's opinion over her head." Jessica stated. She looked at me sadly. "She loves Chase, and the Elite Force, and she will go down with that ship if she has to. If Chase did turn dark side, if he did decide to take over the world, she wouldn't stop him, AJ. I don't know if she'd help him, but she wouldn't stop him. She loves him too much."

"I...Maybe." I admitted. It was impossible to imagine Calla being on opposite sides than Chase, even more impossible than the thought of Chase turning evil.

Jessica crossed her arms again, sighing. "Your grandfather agreed that when we take the Elite Force, she won't be harmed or imprisoned. She might lose her husband, but at least she'll be free and her baby will have a much better chance in this life than if Calla ended up on the wrong side of things. Jaden and Noah too."

"They'll never forgive you. Even if you do stop them, you'll lose Calla as a friend forever." I pointed out. Jessica nodded sadly.

"Perhaps." She agreed. "But it's the right thing to do."

"No, it's not." Even though there were some parts of her argument that were hard to fight, I was sure of that fact. "You may think it is, but it's not. Kidnapping is wrong, no matter why."

"Sometimes we have to do things we don't like in order to get the right results." Jessica reasoned. I looked at her appraisingly, waiting until she'd turned to leave to speak.

"Dani thought the same thing, back when she went undercover to stop her mother. She lost almost everything, all because she didn't stop to think if there was another way to get what she wanted." I pointed out. Jessica paused, head tilted slightly towards me. "I thought you were smarter than her."

She didn't seem to like that comment very much, not saying another word as she left. The door closed behind her, leaving me alone to my thoughts. Hopefully, my words would get through to her, but it was unlikely. If I was going to escape, I had to figure it out on mind own.

Luckily, I already had a plan in mind. And the agents had given me everything I needed.

 **Rani's POV**

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, raising a hand in front of my eyes to try and see again. The light had been blinding, but I felt my eyes adjusting quickly.

"An ESD. It's what happens when two electrically charged items, such as pure electricity and my proton disks, make contact." Calla explained. "It works as an electromagnetic pulse."

As she said those words, I noticed some of the other electronics in the room going haywire. It wasn't many of them, just the ones closest to the fake Liam, but they looked seriously fried. As for 'Liam'...

It was like his face was a digital image, starting to break down and glitch. After a moment of the glitches that distorted the image of his face, it finally settled on a face that most certainly wasn't Liam.

He was male, with dark curls and dark brown eyes filled with distain for us. "At least I don't have to play pretend any more." He sneered.

"Who are you?" Chase demanded, stepping forward, one hand raised with his plasma bo, the other one gently sweeping Calla away from the imposter. The man smirked, then his eyes moved towards Dani.

"You know, don't you?" He asked, amused. It was then that I realized that Dani was staring at the man in horror, eyes wide with recognition.

"Dani?" Oliver asked, looking at her in concern. She licked her lips, glancing briefly at her brother before returning her stare to the man.

"This is-you can't be here." She stammered, clearly shell-shocked.

"Who is he?" Alivia encouraged.

"Carson Bosetti." Dani whispered. The man, Carson, smirked.

"Took you long enough, sweetheart." He sneered.

"How do you know him?" Kaz asked Dani, frowning. She raised her head, though she still looked pretty shaken.

"My mother killed him." She replied, wide-eyed. "He's supposed to be dead."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: I suspect that, by now, the theories are swirling. How is Carson alive? What secrets has AJ been keeping about his family? And just what do I have planned for you guys next? Well, that last one is easy to answer. Here's the schedule:**

 **July 6** **th** **: 42**

 **July 13** **th** **: Break and Entry**

 **Sorry about the two weeks between this chapter and the next folks. I've got some things going on and I want to make sure I have the time to work on it so that it's extra good, especially with what I've got planned. Anyway, don't forget to leave a review, and I'll see you all next week!**

 **Oh, and for those of you tied for 1** **st** **for the trivia thing, I'll be sending you a message within the next 24 hours with your final placement (after the random draw) and what your prize is, if you get one.**


	47. Over and Over Again

**Kihonne: Alright guys, it's time for the latest chapter! I think you're really going to like it, so I won't bug you guys with much pre-chapter babble. Onto the shoutouts, shall we?**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: No, he really can't have a normal life. Poor kid, he's stuck in a really messed up world. Interesting comparison to Bridget; there are certainly some interesting similarities between her and AJ's grandfather. As for what family secrets AJ's been keeping, well...that's going to be an interesting reveal, let's just leave it at that. Sienna, well, it's complicated with her. I'm not saying you're wrong - AJ is certainly her number one priority - but you have to keep in mind, Carson is her brother/AJ's uncle, and Dani's mother had a hand in his death (or whatever actually happened that day). I would keep that in mind when considering Sienna's motives. What did Bridget know? Well, her children are definitely going to want to know the answer to that question too, so stay tuned for more on that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Don't worry, AJ's more clever than he looks. I'm sure he's got a plan. I'm glad someone picked on that little subtle hint about Liam not being Liam. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter too.**

 **Algernon23: You're back! :) And ugh, that sucks. I love snow days as much as the next guy but when there's enough to screw up the school year like that, it just sucks. I have to say, I'm curious to see how close your theories are to what's going on - you can always PM me if you want to discuss them without anyone else seeing them - though I appreciate you purposefully trying not to spoil things for others. This chapter is the eleventh in the series, leaving five or six chapters left (depending on whether or not I break the final chapter into one or two parts). Originally there was supposed to be another chapter included, but I just couldn't figure out how to make it work right, so I tossed the chapter and moved the important aspects of the plot into different chapters. You are certainly right about there being a lot of hell left to come. Hell, if you've thought the past twists were big, I've got one on the way that will absolutely blow minds. And considering the theories I've already heard, I don't think anyone is going to guess this one until I reveal it. But good luck all the same, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Guest: You weren't alone - SHIRT has been distrusted by most people since I introduced it. As for Jessica and Faith, well...you heard Jessica's reasons, and clearly she thinks she's doing the right thing. Faith will give her side of the story eventually. They are definitely going to be surprised by Calla's powers, that's for sure. And yes, Carson's alive. That will definitely make things interesting. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: Please, don't apologize for a late review - I figured you were just waiting for the night before so you could collect all your thoughts on it. And school work should definitely take priority over fanfiction. You make a good point about Kieran and the artifact - it would have been a little odd - and yes, that was a sign that Liam wasn't who he said he was. I'm glad you picked up on it. I really like the way I had Rani catch him too - the duck story was the perfect way to do so. I actually already had that in mind when I wrote the duck chapter, to be honest. Yes, you called it. SHIRT was evil all along. As for Jess and Faith, well they have two very different reasons for doing what they are. Jessica is trying to do what she thinks is right. Yes, her thinking is flawed, but the idea that there needs to be some sort of control in terms of what superheroes are and aren't allowed to do? That may not be the worst thing in the world. After all, without that, what's the difference between heroes and vigilantes? True, the execution of this concept has been horribly twisted and corrupted, but the concept itself isn't evil. At least, not in Jessica's eyes. As for Faith, her reasons are a little...different. I'm not going to comment on hers just yet, as she will get a chance to speak her own mind, but out of the two girls, I think Jessica is probably the better of the two. They are definitely going to be surprised by Calla's powers though, really surprised. Ah, AJ, what have you gotten into? Don't worry, that kid is definitely smarter than they think. He'll figure out a way to get the team to save him. As for his secret...oh, that's going to be a fun reveal on my part. I'm really looking forward to the reactions for that. Interesting theory about Carson. I do touch on it a little in this chapter, so keep reading. Once again, don't worry about the lateness of the chapter, nor the shortness of it (though if this is what you call short, you and I have very different definitions of the word. Not that I'm complaining - I LOVE long reviews. Anyway, I really hope you like the chapter as much as you liked the rest!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: And on with the chapter!**

 **Carson: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Lab Rats Elite Force. She only owns this story, all her OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **xxx**

 **Rani's POV**

"Okay, he's locked up tight." Skylar announced, walking back into the room from the tunnels. Sometime before we started working with them, Calla and Chase had installed a jail cell with power-nullifying bars in one of the dead ends of the tunnels, believing it would be useful in case they needed to interrogate bad guys before handing them over to UPSEI. Though they hadn't used it yet, it certainly came in handy today.

"Good. You were saying?" Chase questioned, turning back to Dani. The electrokinetic sighed, shaking her head.

"He was the scientist that my mother had Sebastian and I kidnap back when I was working with her. She and Gao interrogated him about some of the physics with their device - Mom wasn't totally sold on Gao's ability to make it work, so she wanted a second opinion, and Carson studied that type of theoretical physics." Dani placed her hands on the cyber desk, biting her lip. "And then, when they were done with him, they killed him."

"Well, apparently not." Bree commented. Dani gave her a look.

"They killed him. I'm sure of that. Or at least, I was..." She trailed off, clearly bothered by this turn of events.

"Did you see them kill him?" Alivia asked, arms crossed but her tone patient. Dani shook her head.

"No, not personally, but...I heard him scream. And I saw the cell they were keeping him in afterwards - there was so much blood." She shuddered involuntarily. Kaz went to put his hand on her arm to comfort her, but she pulled away, purposefully not looking at anyone. I frowned in confusion, as did Kaz. They hadn't said anything to anyone yet, but I was sure that they were back together, or at least one intimate moment away from making out on the couch. Why was she pulling away now? She offered no explanation, only continued as if nothing had happened. "There was too much for anyone to survive."

"Could it have came from multiple sources?" Calla suggested. Dani looked at her, a little disgusted at the thought of more than one person dying in that cell. "Look, obviously he survived, so there has to be an explanation."

I sighed in frustration, annoyed with all this waiting. "Why don't we go ask him then?"

Without waiting for anyone to try and stop me, I turned on my heel and turned down the tunnel Skylar had just come from.

"Rani!" I heard Alivia call my name but I didn't let up, instead moving faster until I burst through the door to the holding area. Carson was pacing slowly in front of the blue, electrical bars, looking more impatient than bothered by the fact that he'd been captured.

"Well, it took you long enough." He quipped. I glowered at him, approaching as close as I dared to the bars.

"How are you alive?" I demanded, crossing my arms. I didn't look, but I could hear the others enter the room behind me. No one said anything though, not even Carson. "Where are Spotlight, Scarlet Ace, Kieran Daniels, and Taylor Krane?" Again, I was met with silence and a cocky smirk. "Who are you working for? Arthur Bosetti?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He teased.

"You're going to answer me." I told him angrily, quickly losing my patience with this guy.

"Rani." Alivia warned. I glanced back at her and she nodded at my feet. To my surprise, my shadow was lifting half a foot off the ground, twisting frantically around my ankles.

"How are you alive?" I questioned, turning back to Carson without paying the shadows any more attention. He glanced at me, amused. "You're going to want to answer me now. How are you alive?"

"Magic." He replied, sitting down on the cot in his cell, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

"As if you know any." I sneered.

"Rani." Someone called my name, the tone more stern this time.

"The truth, asshole." I snarled.

"Like I said, magic." He replied. I scoffed.

"You want to see some magic?" I challenged. "Adolebitque eum viv-"

"Enough." A sharp yank on my arm stopped me before I could complete. "Rani! Calm down!"

"Calm down?" I demanded, staring at Chase in utter bewilderment. "How can you be so calm? He knows what happened to the others! He impersonated Spotlight, probably helped kidnap them - we don't even know if they're alive. And you want me to calm down?"

"This isn't helping." He told me. I glowered at him. "Take a walk."

"Not happening." I retorted, standing my ground. By now, I could feel the shadows creeping up my sides, ready to lash out and destroy if need be.

"Take a walk." Chase repeated slowly, his tone controlled but angry.

"That's a good idea. Come on." Skylar grabbed my arm, pushing me out of the tunnel. I ripped my arm away from her grip, but she wouldn't let me turn back, waiting until after we were out of the tunnel to stop forcing me forwards. She even closed the tunnel entrance behind us for good measure.

"Look, I get that you're upset, but freaking out at Carson isn't going to help, and getting mad at Chase or any of our other friends isn't fair." Déjà vu

"Fair?" I echoed, staring at her. "It isn't fair?"

"No, it isn't." Skylar replied, giving me a stern look. She was so...calm. It was infuriating! And how dare she talk to me about being fair?

"I don't know how it works on whatever weird-ass planet you're from, but here, on Earth, things ain't fair. If it were, do you really think I'd be here? Because I sure as hell don't. And before you talk about things being fair, think about this: Alivia and I are the only ones here with a personal stake in things. Spotlight is my boyfriend. The Scarlet Ace is hers. And hell, you barely knew Kieran or Taylor. So don't you dare talk to me about fair when you're not the one with something to lose."

Skylar stared at me for a brief moment, stunned. "Do you really think I don't care about them, just because we're not dating any of them?" Her voice was soft, hurt, but I didn't care. "Rani, I may not be as close to Liam and Lily as you and Liv are, or as close to Kieran and Taylor as some of the people at the Academy, but I do care what happens to them. But this, getting angry, it isn't going to help."

I scoffed at her, done with her condescending I-know-better-than-you attitude. "You know what? Maybe that walk was a good idea."

"Rani." Skylar called, but I pushed past her, heading for the elevator.

I could end this so easily. I knew ways to make people like Carson talk - sure, they were ways that Dr. Wrath had taught me back when I was his pupil, but it wasn't like this guy deserved our mercy. And the sooner we got him to talk, the sooner we could save the others. Why didn't they understand that?

Half an hour later, I found myself heading back to the penthouse. As much as I hated to agree with Chase, the walk did help me clear my head a bit. But not in the way that he had probably imagined - instead of my anger disappearing, it had turned cold and violent. It was no longer uncontrollable rage, but a controlled, deadly force that would destroy Carson if they let me anywhere near him.

"Hey." Oliver greeted as I walked into the penthouse. He, Skylar, Jaden, and Noah were the only ones in the living room. Oliver and Skylar were seated in front of a couple of computer screens, while Jaden was trying desperately to soothe his crying eight-month-old. "I made chicken burgers for lunch. Tofu too, if Dani's managed to get you on the vegetarian kick like she said she would."

"Not hungry, thanks." I replied. "What are you guys doing?"

Skylar didn't answer me, instead plugging in some headphones. Oliver grimaced at the awkwardness between us before giving me a kind smile.

"We are researching Carson Bosetti, to see what we can learn about him." He explained. He paused, wincing as Noah let out another wail. "At least, we're trying to."

"Hey, I'm doing my best. Uh, think you can watch him for a second, man?" Jaden looked at Oliver hopefully. "Bree might have a better chance at this, but she's guarding Carson and I don't want to bring Noah anywhere near him."

"I'm terrible with babies." Oliver replied instantly, backing away slightly. I smirked, remembering something Dani had told me about her brother.

"Right, you have a weird phobia about them, right? Something about their lack of kneecaps? The big bad superhero, afraid of babies. I love that." I mocked him. He gave me a look.

"You don't have to be mean." He pointed out. Skylar let out an irritable sigh, pulling the earbuds from her ears.

"Just give him to me." She decided, getting up. Jaden gave her a grateful smile and handed her the crying bundle. "Hurry please."

"Thanks, Skylar." He told her, already heading for the hyperlift. He got to the fireplace just as the walls slid open, Alivia walking out. "Oh, hey Liv."

"Hey." She gave him a smile before looking at me. "Can we talk?"

"Must we?" I questioned, knowing that this would turn into a lecture.

"Veranda, now." She ordered, pointing and leaving no room for discussion.

I sighed, but complied and led the way onto the veranda. As she turned back to make sure the doors were closed behind her, I saw Bree walk onto the main floor, Jaden obviously having replaced her as Carson's guard.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Alivia demanded. I crossed my arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just interrogating him." I defended myself.

"No, you were getting angry and emotional and allowing him to aggravate you. You're better than that. And going off at Skylar? She didn't deserve that."

"She narked on me?" I questioned, ticked off.

"Didn't have to. Those tunnel walls aren't as thick as you'd think." She informed me. I scowled, annoyed. "Don't give me that look; you crossed the line, Rani. We do not treat our teammates like that."

"She's not my teammate." I pointed out.

"She is while we're working with the Elite Force, especially since we live together for the time being. You are to play nice." She told me. I opened my mouth to argue, but she didn't give me the chance. "That's an order, Nyx."

"Yes ma'am. Would you like me to apologize too?" I questioned sarcastically. Alivia rolled her eyes at my tone.

"I'm not your mother, Rani, I'm not going to tell you to apologize for something we both know you're not sorry for." She told me. "But you will be nice to her and everyone else here while we stay here. Or I will pull you off this mission and send you back to New York."

I felt myself flinch at her words. "You can't do that."

"I can if you're a liability. If you can't keep your emotions in check, you can get yourself or one of us hurt, and it's my job to avoid problems like that. If you end up being a problem, you're done."

"I won't follow that order." I challenged her.

"Then you're off the team." She threatened. I took a step back, shocked she'd go that far.

"You wouldn't dare." I said when I finally found my voice again.

"I can and I will. I don't want to, Rani. You more than just an asset in the field - you're practically family by this point. But if I can't trust you to follow orders that I've given you, especially when you know that disobeying them will put our people in danger, then I can't trust you on this team."

I stared at her, unable to think of a response. Alivia sighed and started to walk back inside, before stopping with the door slightly ajar. She looked back at me, a sad look on her face. "I don't want to be in this position, Rani, but you're not making this easy. Either you behave, you go to New York, or you're off the team. It's up to you."

"Alivia, I-" Before I could finish, I was cut off by the team's AI.

 _"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there appears to have been a breach in the holding facility."_ MISS announced, getting all of our attentions. _"The prisoner has escaped and while Mister Chase is in the process of attempting to detain him once again, he may be in need of some assistance."_

Alivia and I exchanged looks, then wordlessly raced after Skylar, Oliver, and Bree, Noah being left lying on his blanket.

By time we got down there, Chase was already grappling with Carson, who was giving escape his best shot. Chase had his plasma bo out, trying to push Carson down with it, but Carson had somehow managed to get ahold of a metal bo staff for himself (Alivia had gotten Chase to train her in that kind of fighting, claiming it might come in handy in the future, and must have forgotten to put the staff away before we left for New York) and was using it to fend Chase off. Calla was standing near the entrance to the tunnels, her plasma gun in her hands and aimed at the two. She hadn't taken a shot yet, likely because of the risk of hitting Chase, but you could tell that she was waiting for her opportunity.

Well, unlike her, I didn't care so much about waiting for a clear shot. I raised my hand and our shadows leapt off the ground, targeting the two men. It slammed the two into the wall, though I had them release Chase as soon as he was separated from Carson.

"What the hell, Rani?" Bree demanded, turning to me.

"You could have seriously hurt me!" Chase added, ticked off.

"But I didn't." I pointed out. He gave me a look, as did Alivia. "You guys were evenly matched, whether you want to admit it or not. That was the best way to separate you two and catch Carson at the same time."

"How'd he escape?" Kaz demanded, suddenly arriving in the hyperlift with Dani at his side.

"Where were you two?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Just upstairs. MISS told us he escaped. How?" Dani repeated Kaz's questioned.

"I don't know, somehow he deactivated the bars." Jaden explained, stumbling into the main area of the mission command, one arm cradling his ribs with a pained grimace on his face. "He overpowered me and shot me with my own plasma gun."

"Are you okay?" Bree demanded, stepping forward to check him over, one hand gently touching the arm that was wrapped around his midsection, the other cupping his cheek as her eyes roamed his body for visible injuries.

"I've been better, but it's nothing serious." He promised her, raising his chin to kiss her on the forehead in reassurance. He looked at the rest of us. "I seriously don't know how he got out - one minute the bars were working, the next they weren't."

"How'd you get out?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow at Carson. He smirked, even as he squirmed in my shadow's grip.

"As if I'd tell you." He retorted. I scowled and tightened the shadow's grip, getting a little pleasure from the sound he made when the pressure across his chest increased.

"Rani, what did I just tell you?" Alivia demanded. I sent her a look, then opened my hand, dropping Carson to the ground.

"Today is not the day to push me, Geminus." I warned her. After the rollercoaster ride with the fake-Liam, Skylar's little talk about fairness, and Alivia's threat to boot me off the team, I was just done.

"Guys, not the time." Calla told us, giving us both a look.

"Alright, Oliver, Skylar, take Carson back to his cell. I want two of us guarding him at a time, alright? Kaz and I will relieve you in a couple of hours. That good with you?"

"Perfect." Skylar nodded as Oliver grabbed Carson by the back of his shirt and started pushing him back towards the cells.

"I'm going to go check those bars out, see if it was a mechanical or technical failure, or if he did something to sabotage them." Calla offered, following after them.

"Where did he think he was going?" Dani questioned, looking around. "I get he was trying to escape, but there's nowhere to go."

She was right; aside from the tunnel he'd come from, the rest of the entrances to the underground tunnels were locked, the rock walls successfully hiding them from view. The only way out would be through the hyperlift, but then he'd have to get through all of us. Not a very smart plan, not by a long shot.

"I think he was going for the computer. At least, that's what he went for after attacking Calla." Chase explained. He glanced at Dani and Kaz. "She says she's fine and I believe her, but can one of you guys check her, just to be sure?"

"Sure." Kaz nodded.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Jaden muttered. Chase rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"And Jaden. Make sure he's not dying." He teased. Jaden gave him an offended look, but the amusement in his eyes said that while he was sore, he wasn't hurt badly enough to be offended by Chase's desire to have Calla checked out first.

"What could he have wanted on the computer? Calla's got the files on there locked up tighter than Fort Knox." Bree questioned, looking between.

"He could have been trying to send a message to S.H.I.R.T. for help." Kaz and Oliver looked at Alivia when she said that. She shrugged. "No way it's a coincidence that his father is Arthur Bosetti."

"Are we sure about that? Bosetti could be a popular name." Kaz pointed out, though he himself didn't seem so sure.

"AJ confirmed it last year, back when we thought Carson was dead." Dani told him, bending down to start cleaning up some pieces of metal and circuitry that Calla had been working with earlier. "It looks like he broke Calla's amplifier prototype."

"Yeah. I don't think he actually managed to do anything." Chase assured us. I knelt down to help Dani clean up, grabbing a larger piece. "I mean, between when he attacked Calla and when I got in here, he couldn't have been on the computer longer than thirty seconds."

"Still, it's better to be sure." Bree mentioned. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go over the files to make sure nothing was touched." He promised her. Alivia glanced at him.

"Are you sure? I can do it if you need to call the mayor back." She offered.

"The mayor?" I repeated, standing up with the larger piece of the device in my hands. It looked like it was still salvageable, the wiring intact and everything. Maybe Calla could fix whatever damage had been done to it.

"I work for him as his mayor. I should call him back..." Chase trailed off, pulling his phone out. He glanced at Alivia. "You sure you know how to navigate around Calla's security protection?"

"Let me do it." Jaden offered. He gave Alivia a smile. "Sorry, but CeeCee's made me learn this security program back to front and it'll be quicker if I do it."

"Suit yourself." Alivia shrugged. Chase nodded and walked away to call the mayor back, while Bree, Alivia, Kaz, and I went upstairs, leaving Dani to check over Jaden and Calla.

"Hey, bug." Bree smiled, scooping Noah up in her arms. "I'm sorry we left you up here alone."

I scoffed a little, glancing at the clock and realizing that it was only 3:02 PM. "It was barely three minutes, Bree. How much trouble could he get into during that time?"

"You'd be surprised. Dani ever mention the time my infant sister got ahold of one of Chase's inventions and turned herself into a preteen?" She questioned. I rolled my eyes, not exactly in the mood for a story.

"I think we're out of milk." Alivia announced, looking in the fridge, before rising on her toes to grab a few bills out of the jar on top of the fridge labelled 'Grocery Money'. "Anyone else need anything from the store?"

"Maybe a loaf of bread? Kaz isn't doing groceries until Saturday, but that should tide us over in the way of breakfast foods until then."

"Cool." Alivia nodded, walking out the door. I placed the device on the counter, not having realized that it was in my hands when I came up. I figured Calla could just grab it later, once everything had settled down a bit.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from the hallway, loud enough to get all of our attention. Kaz glanced at us, confused, then went to open the door. Before he could reach it, however, Alivia came crashing through it backwards, the door coming clean off its hinges.

"We have company." She told us needlessly, just as several armed men and women, all dressed in black and silver uniforms, came charging.

"MISS, get everyone up here, now!" Kaz shouted as we all leapt to defend ourselves. Alivia split into two, one darting left to deal with the nearest attacker, while the other rolled backwards off the door and into a fighting stance. Bree sped away with Noah instantly, reappearing a moment later without her son and ready to fight. Kaz and I didn't need any time to prepare attacks, instead instantly using our respective powers to blast our attackers full of fire and shadows.

There were too many of them though, and our attacks did little to diminish our numbers. Pretty soon, the penthouse living room was full of armed assailants, leaving us with little room to use our powers. As one neared too close, I grabbed Calla's device and used it as a bat, hitting a nearby attacker in the jaw with the hunk of metal. Sparks flew from the end of the device, but it did its job well, the heavy blow knocking the man out cold.

"Rani!" Suddenly, Bree barreled into me, pushing me over the edge of the couch just as an array of bullets came flying towards us. Bree just barely managed to get us out of harms way, using the couch as cover from the deadly weapons. I nodded at her in thanks and opened my mouth to make an attack suggestion when I heard a pained cry come from the stair case.

Snapping my head towards the source, I saw one of Alivia's duplicates drop, falling down the stairs without another sound. The other duplicate cried out at the same time, going rigid. "Shit!" I muttered, remembering how badly the death of one of her duplicates could affect her. "Bree, she-"

Before I could finish the sentence, I saw, almost in slow motion, one of the agents go for Alivia. Too distracted by the sudden loss of her clone, the red-headed hero didn't notice him until it was too late, until he'd already pulled the trigger.

"No!" I shouted in shock as Alivia stumbled back, arms wrapping around her midsection before she dropped to her knees. But it wasn't until she fell forwards, head hitting the floor with a choking gasp that it really hit me what was happening. "No!" I stood up, one hand clenching Calla's device, the other outstretched towards the agent. "Quid factum est, prohibere!"

Suddenly, Calla's device sparked in my hand, slightly distracting me from the spell. But it wasn't enough to stop it - the magic was already in the air.

 **Xxx**

"Enough." There was a sharp yank on my arm, turning me to look at a very ticked off looking Chase. Somehow, I was back in the holding cell area, surrounded by the rest of the team and Carson, who was sitting on the cot in his cell, back against the wall. "Rani! Calm down!"

"Calm down?" I repeated, confused. What the hell? Shouldn't I be in the living room, upstairs? "What are you talking about?"

"Going off at him isn't going to help." He told me. I stared at him, then looked around in bewilderment. The spell I had used, I'd never used before, but I remembered clearly from my lessons. 'If you're ever beaten in a fight and there's no chance of escape, this spell will undo the last few moments, giving you a chance to save yourselves, but use it sparingly - the energy needed for it may be more than you have to spare', Dr. Wrath's words echoed in my head. But this didn't make sense at all.

"This doesn't make sense." I mumbled, confused.

"We'll figure it out, but right now, I think you need to take a walk." Chase suggested, gesturing at the tunnel. I followed his gaze, then shook my head.

"No, you - you don't understand." Had I accidently undone more than just the fight? Was that even possible.

"Rani, you're done. Do as he says." Alivia insisted. I looked at her, eyes wide, still trying to comprehend what I'd done.

"Come on." Skylar grabbed my arm, pushing me out of the tunnel. I let her lead me out, still trying to calculate in my mind just how I'd managed to miscalculate my spell by so much. "Look, I get that you're upset, but freaking out at Carson isn't going to help, and not listening to Chase or Alivia when they tell you to take it down a notch isn't either."

"Skylar-" I began, but she stopped me.

"You looked like you were going to kill him in there, Rani." She told me. I stopped, looking at her.

"Would that be so bad?" I questioned. "He deserves it."

"Heroes don't kill." Skylar argued.

"Tell that to Dani." I pointed out. Skylar crossed her arms.

"That isn't fair." She defended her friend. I looked at her, getting a sense of déjà vu.

"Don't talk to me about fair, alright? Not when you've got half as much to lose as we do." I snapped. Skylar looked at me, confused.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She questioned. I shook my head.

"You know what? Not the time for this. Right now, we have to worry about Carson. He's dangerous." I still didn't understand how I'd managed to reverse things so far back, but it didn't really matter so much as what I did with the extra time.

"Not enough to kill him." Skylar argued.

"Debatable. But that's not the point. He's going to escape." I told her. She rolled her eyes, not believing me. "I'm serious, Skylar. He's going to escape and contact his buddies at S.H.I.R.T.. They're going to come for him and to take us out."

"That's a little bit of a stretch, isn't it?" Skylar asked me, unamused. "Even if that could happen, which it wouldn't, there's no way that he'll get out of that cell. Those bars will block any powers he might have, and we're not stupid enough to leave him down here alone."

"It won't be enough!" I insisted.

"Rani, chill for a second." Kaz interrupted, walking into the room, Calla, Oliver, Dani, Bree, and Jaden close behind him. "Take a breather and think it through; there's no way he can get out of that cell."

"Why aren't you watching him?" I demanded, eyes wide. If he escaped again and contacted his friends...well, I just couldn't let that happen. "I'm going to see him."

"No, you're not." Calla stopped me, placing her hand on my arm. Meanwhile, Oliver, Kaz, Dani, Jaden, and Bree used the hyperlift to go to the main floor. "Chase and Alivia thought it would be easier to interrogate him in private, and after that little display, I think maybe it's a good idea that you two get some space. Go."

"Calla," I began, but she shook her head.

"Nope, no arguing. Both Chase and Alivia want you far away from him, and I agree with them. Go grab some lunch with the others." She insisted. "Let me work on my amplifier, would you?"

"Are you sure those bars are going to hold up? Because I don't think they will." I told her. She looked at me, brow furrowed in annoyance.

"I'm sure. They're state of the art; I installed them myself." She insisted. "They'll work perfectly."

"No offense, Calla, but they won't." I insisted. She crossed her arms.

"Why not?" She challenged. I bit my lip. "Well? If you have a genuine concern about them, I'd like to hear it. Do you have a logical reason for why they won't work?"

"I...they're going to malfunction." I insisted.

"First of all, no. There are failsafes to prevent that from happening. And second of all, there's no way you could know that." Calla declared. I sighed in frustration.

"I do. I know the future. I've seen it." I told her. She rolled her eyes, not falling for it for a second.

"Lily's the psychic, not you. Now go, Rani. You're starting to tick me off too." She told me.

"Seriously, Davenport?" I questioned. She looked at me, eyes alight with anger.

"Seriously." She insisted.

"Come on, Rani." Skylar encouraged. I looked between her and Calla helplessly. Of course they didn't believe me. But it wasn't exactly like I could prove my claims.

"Fine." I grumbled, following Skylar up to the main floor.

"Did you really think she'd fall for that?" Skylar questioned.

"Don't, just...don't." I snapped at her before walking into the living room. "MISS? I'd like to see the live security footage of the holding cell on the TV screen."

 _"Of course."_ MISS replied and the screen turned on, showing the security footage. Alivia and Chase were standing in front of the cell, speaking with an apparently silent Carson. The footage didn't come with audio, unfortunately, but I could get a good sense as to what was happening from here. Chase was hanging back a bit, letting Alivia take the lead on the interrogation, though clearly supporting her by making comments every so often. Alivia, on the other hand, was walking back and forth in front of Carson's cell, keeping her eyes locked on him.

"Are you just going to pace in front of that TV until they're done?" Oliver questioned as he pulled a few chicken burgers out of the freezer. I stopped, not knowing when I started moving, then nodded to myself.

"Yes." I replied loudly, beginning to pace again.

"You're ridiculous." I heard Skylar mutter. I chose to ignore her.

"Where are Dani and Kaz?" I questioned, noticing that neither of them were on the floor. As soon as Alivia came up to speak to me, I'd warn her about the attack. She'd believe me, surely. If not, Dani was my second choice.

"Upstairs, both of them. Dani said she was going to go over Mom's notes on Carson in her room. Kaz went to take a shower." Jaden explained. I nodded to myself and continued to pace in front of the TV, watching Carson like a hawk. He was going to sabotage the bars, I knew it. I just needed to see how he did it.

Eventually, Bree finished her lunch and headed downstairs to bring Calla a plate and to check in with Alivia and Chase. I waited impatiently, watching the TV screen as she entered the holding cell area. She spoke with Chase and Alivia for a couple of long minutes - during which, Noah decided that he was no longer satisfied with being taken care of by Jaden - before being cut off by Chase's phone ringing. He stepped away to take the call and both he and Alivia disappeared from view.

"Hey, Oliver?" Jaden called suddenly, raising his voice above Noah's cries. "Do you think you can watch Noah for a second? I think Bree might have a better chance at this, but she's guarding Carson and I don't want to bring Noah anywhere near him."

"I'm terrible with babies." Oliver replied instantly, backing away slightly.

"You're afraid of them." I murmured to myself, remembering what I'd said the first time.

"Look, they're weird, okay?" Oliver defended himself.

"I'll take him." Skylar offered, getting up from the couch. Jaden gave her a grateful smile and handed her the crying bundle. "Hurry though? Please?"

"Thanks, Skylar." He told her, already heading for the hyperlift. Just like before, he got to the fireplace just as the walls slid open, Alivia walking out. "Oh, hey Liv."

"Hey." She gave him a smile before looking at me. Before she could speak, I cut her off.

"We need to talk." I told her insistently. She blinked, surprised.

"My thoughts exactly." She agreed. She started towards the veranda, but I shook my head.

"Downstairs." I told her.

"Yeah, no." She told me. I nodded.

"Oh yeah. It's important." I didn't give her the chance to argue, instead heading for the hyperlift, confident that she would follow eventually. Sure enough, seconds after I arrived in mission command, Alivia came shooting down behind me.

"Seriously? Get out." Calla snapped at me, irritated. "Alivia, why would you bring her down here?"

"She didn't give me much of a choice." Alivia told her. She looked at me. "You want to tell me what the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded.

"Time travel." I answered. She opened her mouth to argue, then stopped herself once what I'd said actually processed.

"What?" She questioned, confused. I pointed at the tunnel leading to the holding cell.

"He's going to break out of that cell, because those bars WILL fail, and then he's going to contact his buddies, probably the ones that work at S. .T., and they're going to come in here and take us out. I saw it." I insisted.

"Back up, time travel? How?" Alivia demanded, looking at me closely. She glanced at Calla. "Did you know about this?"

"She said she knew the future, but she didn't mention anything about actual time travel." Calla explained before looking at me. "You wanna explain that?"

"Magic." I explained. At Calla's confused look, I elaborated. "I have a spell than can undo a couple of minutes of time, if need be."

"How come you never mentioned it before?" Alivia questioned.

"I've never really used it before. I tried once, but I didn't have the power to make it work." I explained.

"Wait, let's go back a sec - you said it allows you to go back a couple of minutes? Are you saying that everything you just told us is going to happen is going to happen in the span of a couple of minutes?" Calla questioned skeptically. "Rani, that's impossible. Even if he did manage to get an SOS to his friends, which I still don't think is going to happen because that cell is the best Davenport Industries has come up with, there's no way that they'd be able to get here and storm the place in two minutes."

"No, I - duh, of course it can't happen in a span of two minutes." I agreed. "The spell is supposed to only work for a couple of minutes, but it brought me back more than just that. A lot more."

"How much more?" Alivia questioned sharply.

"Uh...forty minutes, give or take? I'm not entirely sure, but Carson is going to escape any second, and his buddies are going to be here in..." I pulled out my phone, double-checking the time. "They're going to be here in about eleven minutes."

Calla observed me for a moment, then leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful look on her face. She glanced at Alivia. "Do you believe this?" She asked.

"You think I'm lying?" I challenged, offended. She sighed.

"It's not that, but...what you're saying. It does sound a bit like an excuse to let you have another go at Carson." She admitted. I rolled my eyes. "And the type of attack you're talking about, it sounds like a tactical team, and it takes more than eleven minutes to set one up and get it over here, surely. I mean, if we're right about Carson working with S.H.I.R.T., their base is at least a fifteen minute drive, even longer if they go through the tunnels."

"Maybe they have geoleap tech, like you're watch." I reasoned. "I mean, the cyber mask Carson used to disguise himself as Liam was similar to Davenport Industries' version of the thing, wasn't it? It's possible that they copied more of your technology."

"I don't know if they'd be able to do that." Calla told me hesitantly.

"Look, I don't know how it's possible that they're going to do what they're going to do, but I do know it's going to happen unless we stop it." I insisted.

"It is a little hard to swallow, Rani. Are you sure that-" She began, only to cut herself off prematurely to drop to the ground, pulling Calla and I with her. A shot of plasma flew over our heads and I acted instinctively, spinning around and sending a shadowy dagger in the direction of the attack.

Carson dodged my attack, dropping the plasma gun to grip the bo staff he'd already picked up with both hands. He spun it at me, aiming for my head, but Alivia got there first, slamming her elbow into him. He dropped down low, kicking his leg out and knocking her off her feet. I went to take advantage of his closeness to the ground, raising a leg to kick him across the face, but he was too fast; before I could land the blow, he slammed the bo staff into my stomach, knocking the breath from my lungs.

My knees buckled but he grabbed my hair, yanking it painfully to force me upwards. I saw Calla aiming her plasma gun at him, but he was forcing to stand between the two of them, blocking her shot. "Shoot!" I shouted.

"I don't have to a clear shot!" She replied in frustration as Carson typed on the computer.

"Hey!" Chase burst into the room, eyes widening when he saw what was going on. He raised his hand and I felt an invisible force pulling me away from Carson.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I screamed when Carson's grip on my hair didn't let up.

"Hey!" Oliver shouted, suddenly arriving in mission command with Skylar and Bree via the hyperlift. He raised his hand and a blast of ice flew at Carson. It hit him in the chest, causing him to lose his grip on me. It threw him into the cyberdesk, knocking Calla's amplifier onto the ground and breaking it, just like before.

"Are you okay?" Bree demanded, looking at me in concern. I nodded quickly, rubbing the back of my head.

"How'd he escape?" Kaz demanded, suddenly arriving in the hyperlift with Dani at his side.

"Where were you two?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Just upstairs. MISS told us he escaped. How?" Dani repeated Kaz's questioned.

"I don't know, somehow he deactivated the bars." Jaden explained, stumbling into the main area of the mission command, one arm cradling his ribs with a pained grimace on his face. "He overpowered me and shot me with my own plasma gun."

"Are you okay?" Bree demanded, stepping forward to check Jaden over, one hand gently touching the arm that was wrapped around his midsection, the other cupping his cheek as her eyes roamed his body for visible injuries.

"I've been better, but it's nothing serious." He promised her, raising his chin to kiss her on the forehead in reassurance. He looked at the rest of us. "I seriously don't know how he got out - one minute the bars were working, the next they weren't."

"Maybe you should check to see if they're working properly." I mentioned to Calla, trying and failing to hide the smugness from my voice.

"Good idea." Calla admitted, getting up to go check those bars.

"Oliver, Skylar, will you guys take Carson back to his cell? Stay there with him and Calla until she's double checked the bars on his cell, then I want two of us guarding him at a time, alright? Kaz and I will relieve you in a couple of hours." Chase instructed.

"Sure." Skylar nodded as Oliver grabbed Carson by the back of his shirt and started pushing him back towards the cells.

"Okay, are you guys okay?" Chase questioned, looking at us now that the immediate threat was over.

"We're fine, thanks. We should check to see if he managed to get a message through to his friends." I decided, turning to the computer.

"We don't know that's what he was trying to do. There are plenty of files on that computer he could have been getting into. He used his disguise as Liam to get in here in the first place - he must had a plan, and it wouldn't be the first time a villain has tried to access these files."

"I'm pretty sure he was sending an SOS." I insisted.

"Why?" Dani spoke up, confused.

"Just, would you check that first?" Alivia questioned. I sent her a grateful smile.

"Sure." Chase sat down at the cyberdesk. "MISS, please show us any and all outgoing messages or signals from the cyberdesk within the last hour."

 _"There are no messages ingoing or outgoing."_ MISS replied.

"Nothing? Not even something he could have deleted to hide?"

 _"No. There have been no messages or signals ingoing or outgoing since 8:02 AM, when Miss Calla sent an email to Dooley, Leo."_

"Thank you MISS. I'd like you to run a scan, see what he did access." Chase ordered. He looked at me. "Happy?"

"Thrilled." I replied, only half-sarcastically. Okay, we were able to prevent him from sending the message this time. That was good. S.H.I.R.T. didn't know we had him, which meant they weren't going to attack. Thank God.

"Good. Now if you excuse me, I need to call the mayor back." He announced, walking away from us and pulling out his cell phone.

"Okay. Rani, upstairs, please." Alivia gestured at the hyperlift. I nodded and followed her upstairs. Bree and Kaz followed shortly after us, Dani staying behind to check over Jaden for injuries.

"Hey, bug." Bree smiled, scooping Noah up in her arms. "I'm sorry we left you up here alone."

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to comment on how little time he'd actually spent alone. "So, the attack, not going to happen now?" Alivia checked, pulling me into the kitchen. I shook my head.

"It shouldn't, if he didn't manage get a message to his buddies, then they don't know he's been busted yet." I reasoned. Alivia nodded.

"Good, because I actually did want to talk to you." She decided. I sighed.

"Oh, please, not this again." I sighed. She frowned.

"I'm guessing we had this talk before you decided to rewind time?" She guessed. I nodded. "What'd I say?"

"Uh, in summary? Either learn to play nice or go back to New York. Or you'll kick me off the team." I replied, still bitter about her ultimatum.

"I threatened you with that?" Alivia looked surprised. "How badly were you pushing my buttons?"

"Really badly apparently." I replied. She considered it thoughtfully, then nodded.

"Okay, well...play nice." She instructed. I mock saluted her, to which she rolled her eyes. She turned to the fridge, looking for something to drink. "We're out of milk." I mentioned before she opened it. No sooner had those words passed my lips than the front door burst open and armed men and women, all dressed in black and silver uniforms, came charging in.

"What the hell?" Kaz demanded, leaping to his feet and raising his hand to send a stream of fire towards the intruders. "MISS, get everyone up here, now!"

I grabbed Alivia's arm before she could split into her duplicates, just as Bree sped Noah away to safety. "Three, not two." I warned her. She gave me a confused look, but followed my instructions, splitting herself into three versions of herself.

Bree was back a second later, and now that I knew how they'd attack - using their number to their advantage in such a tight space - I found it much easier to fend them off. I was careful to keep an eye on Alivia's duplicates though, desperate to keep at least one of them alive.

"Rani!" Kaz's sudden shout drew my attention and I realized, too late, that one of the men had their weapon trained on me. It was all I could do to drop to the ground as he pulled the trigger. The last thing I saw was the floor coming up to meet me and a fiery sear of pain striking the top of my shoulder.

 **Xxx**

"Enough." A sharp yank on my arm turned me to face Chase. "Rani! Calm down!"

I stared at him, then at the others. What...? "What the hell?"

"Yeah, what the hell. Take a walk." Chase told me. I blinked, more confused than I'd ever been in my life. How had I gotten here? The last time was weird enough, but I hadn't even cast a spell this time.

"What's going on?" I questioned, confused.

"Alivia and I will take over the interrogation. Walk, now." He instructed.

"That's a good idea. Come on." Skylar grabbed my arm, pushing me out of the tunnel. I pulled away from her, not stopping until I was leaning against the cyberdesk.

"What is going on?" I whispered to myself, not able to understand this at all. It was like I was caught in some kind of loop, repeating the same...forty-two minutes (if the time on the cyberdesk was correct) for the third time.

"Look, I get that you're upset, but freaking out at Carson isn't going to help, and not listening to Chase or Alivia when they tell you to take it down a notch isn't either." Skylar criticized.

"Whatever." I muttered.

"You looked like you were going to kill him in there, Rani." She told me. I stared at her and suddenly felt my chest tighten and my breathing get a little harsher.

"I need some air." I muttered, pushing past her and heading for the hyperlift. As soon as I got to the main floor, I ran out onto the veranda, gripping the edges of the barrier. "Okay, what the actual hell is happening? I didn't even use my magic that time!" I turned around and slid down the barrier until I was sitting on the ground, facing the penthouse kitchen. I watched the others for a bit - Oliver looking for something to eat, Bree carrying Noah off to the bathroom with a clean, unused diaper in her hand, Jaden and Skylar grabbing computers to research Carson, and Kaz and Dani heading upstairs to do their own thing. After a few minutes, I felt myself calm down.

Okay, clearly something went wrong when I cast that spell earlier. And clearly, Carson found a way to contact S.H.I.R.T. without using the cyberdesk, otherwise MISS would know about it. But I couldn't just tell the others what would happen - it took me far too long to convince Alivia and Calla last time, and the only reason I was able to do so was because Carson escaped. Telling them he would and then him doing it was so far the only proof I had, but that only left a little more than ten minutes before S.H.I.R.T. would come for us, and that wasn't enough time to figure out a plan. Oh, what was I going to do.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, trying to think if there was anyone in here that would believe me without proof. Oliver and Skylar were both nos, and I suspected that Bree and Jaden would be too. Calla and Alivia had already proven to be too skeptical to believe me without proof, and I suspected that Chase would follow suit. That really only left two people.

"Dani." I muttered to myself, pushing myself off the ground and started walking into the penthouse. She would believe me, right? She trusted me more than anyone else did here, surely she would be on my side.

I walked past the rest of the team and jogged up the stairs, going two at a time and not stopping until I'd reached Dani and Skylar's bedroom. The door was cracked a bit, just enough for me to realize that she wasn't alone in the room.

"...I just think that now might not be the best time for this, Kaz." Dani was saying. I frowned and slid close to the wall, unashamedly eavesdropping on them.

"You didn't think that yesterday." Kaz argued, his tone hurt.

"Yesterday, we thought Liam was back." Dani pointed out.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kaz questioned, voicing my thoughts out loud.

"I just...Rani just got him and lost him again in less than a day. That's got to hurt, even if she's acting more angry than sad right now. I don't want to make things even worse for her by going public right after." Dani explained. I raised my head, finally understanding why she'd been pulling away from him earlier.

"So, you want to break up again? Because of Rani?" Kaz questioned incredulously. "Look, I feel sorry for her and all, but haven't we lost enough time together?"

"I didn't say we should break up. I want to be with you, of course I do." Dani rushed to reassure him. "I just don't want to go around bragging about it."

Kaz was quiet for a moment. Then: "You want to secretly date again?"

"Would it be the worst thing in the world? We've done it before, and frankly, it was a hell of a lot less complicated before Future You ratted us out."

"You...That's very true, actually." Kaz chuckled in agreement. I heard Dani laugh a little herself.

"I just know that if I were in Rani's shoes, and she and Liam had just revealed that they were together while I had no idea if I was going to see you again, it would hurt. A lot." Dani insisted. "She's my friend, Kaz, and I don't want to hurt her even more than she already is."

"How in the world are you two such good friends?" Kaz questioned.

"No one knows. It just happened." Dani admitted, and I couldn't help but smile in agreement at her words.

"Rani!" I heard Alivia shout my name from downstairs. Swearing under my breath, I slipped Calla and Chase's bedroom, confident that I could still hear Kaz and Dani's conversation between the thin walls and still hide from Alivia in one of the only places she wouldn't actually search.

Kaz and Dani had paused their conversation, waiting to see if Alivia would come upstairs to check for me, but when the Irish hero apparently stayed on the main floor, Dani spoke up. "So? We have our fun, but in secret? At least until we find the others?"

"Fine, on one condition." Kaz agreed.

"We have to tell Ollie?" Dani guessed. Kaz must have nodded, because she continued a moment later. "Agreed. We don't want a repeat of last time."

"No we do not." Kaz agreed. "Okay. We'll do this. I just hope we find them soon, because I am not looking for having to pretend not to be into you around the others."

"I hope so too." Dani hummed in response.

"I'm going to have to pretend that I don't want to do this." Kaz continued, his tone turning sly. I heard Dani let out a soft laugh.

"Oh, yeah?" She asked, her voice softer this time. I frowned, listening as she laughed again before humming in pleasure. "Oh, and I'm going to have to pretend that I don't want to do this."

When I heard the squeak of the coils in her mattress, I knew it was time I get out of there. I started to slowly sneak downstairs, thinking that maybe I could try Oliver and hope he'd believe me when MISS spoke up.

 _"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there appears to have been a breach in the holding facility."_ MISS announced suddenly. _"The prisoner has escaped and while Mister Chase is in the process of attempting to detain him once again, he may be in need of some assistance."_

"Here we go again." I muttered to myself before jogging down the stairs. I slid into the hyperlift just after the others, squeezing in between Alivia and Oliver.

"Where were you?" Alivia questioned sharply.

"You don't want to know." I replied as the hyperlift sent us shooting down into mission command.

 **Xxx**

"Enough." This time, the sharp yank on my arm, dragging me back to the holding cell area, was a welcome one. "Rani! Calm down!"

"Got it." I replied, looking Chase in the eyes. He looked at me carefully, having been prepared for a fight, then let go of my arm. I raised my hand to my forehead, feeling a wave of dizziness come over me. Whether or not I was intentionally using the magic that kept dragging me back here again and again, it was starting to take a toll on me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm going to take a walk." I decided, pushing away from him and heading down the tunnel to mission command. I stopped at the cyberdesk, leaning on it heavily. This time loop was draining me of my power and I could feel the toll starting to build up. I needed to figure a way out of this, and fast. "MISS?"

 _"Yes, Miss Rani?"_ The AI replied instantly. I sighed.

"Is there a way to send a message from the holding cell area? Any way at all? Emphasis on at all - if Carson can get a bird to tap out a morse code message on a tree from here, I want to know."

 _"There is no way for Carson to send a message from the cell. He is free of any technical devices, as confirmed by Misters Chase and Kaz's search of him, nor does he have any type of communication outside of the team."_ MISS assured me.

"If that changes, let me know." I sighed. We had to be missing something, I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Hey." I glanced over my shoulder as Skylar followed me into the room. "What was that back there?"

"Please, Skylar. Stop." I sighed deeply, already having had this conversation too many times.

"No." She refused. "Look, I get that you're upset, but freaking out at Carson isn't going to help-"

"And not listening to Chase or Alivia when they tell me to take it down a notch isn't either." I finished. She looked at me, a little caught of guard by my interruption. "Skylar, I need you to back off, okay?"

"You looked like you were going to kill him in there, Rani." She told me.

"Well, I'm about two minutes away from actually killing him, Skylar." I retorted bluntly. The truth was, I was ready to do it. This time loop was driving me nuts, and I knew I couldn't keep it up for much longer. Killing Carson would solve the problem, surely. If I couldn't figure it out by the next loop, I would kill him in his cell and deal with the consequences after.

"Heroes don't kill." Skylar argued.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I used to be a villain." I snapped. Skylar looked at me appraisingly.

"What, you miss being evil?" She challenged.

"Well, as opposed to heroes, we actually got results." I replied.

"Aside from ending up in jail?" She questioned. I nodded.

"Oh yeah. If I were still on the other side of things, I guarantee you we would have found the others by now. I mean, look at things I was able to do under Dr. Wrath's tutorage..." I stopped myself, something occurring to me. "Seriously?"

"What?" Skylar demanded, confused. I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

"I just figured out...you know what? It doesn't matter." Why bother telling her how Carson was still alive when the hour was just going to repeat itself anyway. I sighed. "I swear, today is the longest day of my life."

"Just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean you get to take it out on the rest of us."

"A bad day?" I repeated incredulously, staring at the alien. "I think that's a bit of understand. You - you don't even know."

"I get it, about getting false hope for Liam, but you've been through way worse than this." Skylar reminded me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, then shook my head.

"I'm not talking about Liam. I mean, that wasn't a great start to things, but...this isn't about him. This is about - ugh!" I screamed in frustration.

"You want to explain what 'ugh' is?" Skylar questioned, crossing her arms. I shook my head.

"Why bother, you won't believe me. You guys never believe me." I'd already tried to tell them, but either they were too busy to be interrupted, or they were too skeptical of what I was saying to believe me until it was too late.

"Try me." Skylar said. I looked at her, then sighed.

"Uh, you know that episode of Supernatural where Sam keeps reliving the same day over and over again because of Gabriel? Well, my day's kinda been like that, but instead of it ending with a Winchester dying, the penthouse gets attacked and we all die." I summarized. Skylar frowned.

"I've never watched Supernatural." She admitted.

"What is wrong with you?" I demanded, staring at her.

"But, I have seen the movie Groundhog Day, and what you're saying sounds an awfully lot like that." She continued. "It was about a guy who kept reliving the same day over and over again. He was stuck in a time loop until he learned to be a good person or something."

"Yes!" I grabbed her shoulders desperately. "I mean, it's the same forty-two minutes over and over again and I don't know about if this has to do with whether or not I'm a good person, but the time loop thing, yeah."

"Okay. How?" She asked, confused.

"A tactical team of armed people - agents of S.H.I.R.T., if I had to guess - are going to break in here within the hour. The first time they did, I cast a spell to rewind a couple of minutes - the fight had gone bad, I didn't have another choice - but somehow it brought me back forty-two minutes instead. And I keep repeating the same forty-two minutes over and over again."

"Why forty-two?" Skylar questioned. I raised my hands helplessly. "Okay, so you have no idea how you got into this loop?"

"None. Wait," I frowned, realizing something, "you actually believe me?"

"I mean, it's not the first time that time travel has messed with our life and to be honest, with this group, a time loop was only a matter of time." She shrugged. "Why? Has no one else believed you so far?" I shook my head at that. "Rani, how many times have you done this?"

"Nineteen." I answered. She leaned back, an almost horrified look on her face. "And it always, always, ends the same."

"With S.H.I.R.T. agents attacking us?" She confirmed. I nodded.

"They storm the penthouse. I never finish the fight before being brought back, but one of us always dies. Alivia, Kaz, Bree...the rest of you are always down here when the attack happens, but even the couple of times I've managed to be in mission command when it happens, they've gotten down here too. Through the tunnels, through the front door, it doesn't matter. They always get in, they always beat us."

"Okay, calm down. Let's figure this out, okay? Maybe we can evacuate the penthouse before the attack." Skylar suggested.

"That would require them actually believing me." I pointed out. Skylar pressed her lips together in a thin line.

"And no one does? Not even Dani?" She asked.

"Oh, please. She's too busy getting it on with Kaz for me to even talk to." I replied. Skylar raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh yeah, that's secretly a thing. But no, one believes me. Well, Calla and Alivia do, eventually, but by that point, we don't get out of here in time. The tactical team is already on its way through the tunnels and through the main door of the building."

"Okay, then we have to stop the attack from happening. Carson must be calling for help, we just have to stop him - why are you shaking your head?" She questioned, cutting herself off.

"He's not contacting them. I thought he managed to get a message across when he broke out-"

"When did he break out?" Skylar interrupted me. I glanced at my phone.

"In about...26 minutes." I replied. "He breaks out and gets to the computer. I think he tried to get a message across, but he never gets the chance. I've looked at every possible way for him to get a message out, and there's nothing."

"Then...maybe someone else?" Skylar was running out of ideas. "Someone else could have contacted them."

"You think someone on the team would side with S.H.I.R.T.?" I questioned incredulously. She shook her head.

"No, but...there has to be some explanation. AJ, maybe? I can see him choosing family over friends." She suggested. I shook my head.

"Calla is going to call him twice within the next hour, but she'll never manage to get ahold of him and she doesn't leave a message, so he's got nothing to tip him off."

"Well, there has to be something...Could they have a listening device on him?" She offered. I shook my head.

"The boys searched him. And besides, any listening would have been fried from the ESD thing Calla and Dani did, just like the cyber mask." I reasoned.

"Yeah, but a loss in signal would be just as much a warning to them as a direct call for help. Still, if they searched him..." She sighed, unsure of what to think next.

"Wait, what if they do have a bug?" I questioned, latching onto what she had said.

"You said they searched him though." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but Faith and Jessica have both been in this apartment. They could have bugged us at any time." I said excitedly. Yes, this had to be it. There had to be a bug somewhere in here, it was the only way that S.H.I.R.T. could know that we'd busted Carson.

"Uh, yeah. That actually makes sense." Skylar nodded to herself, then looked at me. "I think Calla's got to have a couple of bug sweepers around here somewhere. Wanna help me find them?"

"Well, it's better than watching Jaden play Peek-A-Boo with Noah for sixteen minutes straight."

Skylar smiled, then led me into the equipment room to try and track down those electronic device scanners of Calla's. Soon enough, we found ourselves scouring the living room and kitchen area in search of any devices that Jessica or Faith may have 'left' behind. The others thought we were crazy, but left us to our work, deciding not to interfere.

 _"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there appears to have been a breach in the holding facility."_ MISS announced eventually, just like before. _"The prisoner has escaped and while Mister Chase is in the process of attempting to detain him once again, he may be in need of some assistance."_

The others all exchanged looks and started heading for the hyperlift. I grabbed Skylar's arm, stopping her. "We'll catch up." I called, shaking my head at her to let her know that we were staying behind. Neither Oliver nor Bree argued with us, instead heading straight down. Kaz and Dani raced down the stairs a couple of minutes later, Kaz hastily buttoning up his shirt. Neither one of them noticed us, instead heading straight down to Mission Command.

"Are you sure?" Skylar looked at me, confused.

"Oh yeah. Between Ollie and Chase, they've already taken care of Carson." I assured her, having already been through too many variations of that fight to even be slightly concerned about his escape. I sighed. "The problem is, the agents are already on their way now."

"We can't escape in time?" Skylar questioned. I shook my head and she swore. "How sure are you that you'll repeat today again?"

"Well, this is the twentieth time I've been in the loop and I still don't know how to get out of it, so pretty sure." I told her. She nodded thoughtfully and continued searching for the bugs, ducking under the kitchen table to check there while I grabbed a stool to check on top of the fridge.

"Then let's find the bug now so you know where to look next time." She decided. "I just hope you're right about this loop."

"Twenty times Skylar. I don't think I could stop it if I tried." I assured her.

"What exactly happened anyway?" She questioned.

"I told you. I used the spell, and it just keeps happening." I replied, scowling when my search on top of the fridge came up empty.

"No, I mean. What happened exactly? Did you do anything differently during the fight? Were you just using magic, or did you mix your powers in there?"

"Powers and magic, but I've done that plenty of times before without this happening." I replied, climbing down and beginning to check through the cupboards. "I did beat a guy with a hunk of metal, but I don't think that'd stick me in...what did you call it? Hedgehog Day?"

"Groundhog Day. And what hunk of metal?" She asked, climbing out from under the table just as Kaz and Bree came back up.

"Thanks for the help guys." Kaz told us, annoyed, as he placed the piece of Calla's device on the table.

"That hunk of metal." I replied, pointing at the device. "Where's Alivia?"

"She stayed downstairs to help Oliver guard Carson, who we caught without your help." Bree told us, equally annoyed that neither Skylar or I answered the call for help. She bent down in front of Noah, who was lying on his blanket. "Hey, bug."

"Wait, you beat a guy up with this?" Skylar grabbed the piece of the device. I nodded, scanning the inside of the cupboard. "Were you holding this when you cast the spell?"

"What spell?" Kaz asked, confused.

"Uh, maybe? Yeah, actually, I think so." I ignored him and looked over at Skylar. "Why?"

"It's a device made to amplify the affects of other devices, like Calla's tracker. Maybe that's why your spell over did it so much - it was just overly amplified." She suggested. I looked at her, surprised that I hadn't thought of that myself.

"Yeah, actually...yeah, that makes sense." I agreed.

"What spell?" Kaz repeated his question. Bree picked Noah up in her arms and walked over to us, a confused look on her face.

"What is going on? I expected Rani to be acting a little crazy with everything that's going on with Carson, no offense, but Skylar, you too?" She questioned. I looked at her, indeed offended, but Skylar stopped me from responding.

"We think that S.H.I.R.T. had either Jess or Faith put a bug in the apartment." She explained.

"What in the world would give you that idea?" Bree questioned, confused.

"Rani's got herself stuck in a magical time loop." Skylar replied simply. Kaz cracked a smile, amused, while Bree just looked at us skeptically.

"I don't think that's actually possible..." She trailed off.

"See? I told you they wouldn't believe me!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands out in frustration. However, that's when the scanner started to beep, alerting us to the presence of a small electronic device. And my wand was right in front of Kaz.

"Uh...Kaz? Anything you want to tell us?" I asked, looking at him closely. He frowned and shook his head. I slowly waved the scanner over him, frowning when it began to beep as it passed over his hands.

"Hey, give me your watch." Bree requested, holding her hand out. He twisted his wrist, unlatching it. "Is that the one Jessica gave you?"

"Yeah, but she wouldn't...no..." Kaz trailed off as Bree popped open the back of the watch, revealing a small, black button-like object. She dropped it into her hand, frowning. "Is that a bug? Like a listening bug?"

"Yeah. It's fried though. Calla and Dani's ESD must have destroyed it." She realized.

"That explains why my watch hasn't been working since." Kaz frowned. He looked at us. "But that's good right? They can't hear us anymore."

"Yeah, but they heard everything beforehand, and they must know that we captured him." Skylar pointed out. She looked at me, eyes wide. "You were right."

"We need to get out of here. They'll be coming for him." Bree realized. I shook my head.

"It's too late." I murmured. Kaz opened his mouth to ask why, when the door burst open and armed men and women, all dressed in black and silver uniforms, came charging in.

"MISS, get everyone up here, now!" Kaz ordered, raising his hand to send a stream of fire towards the intruders.

Skylar charged at them, dropping to her knees as they pulled out their weapons. She slid towards them, kicking her leg out at the last second to knock a couple of them off her feet.

Bree and I, meanwhile, took shelter behind the couch. There was no point in actually fighting - it would all reset in a second.

"Are you really caught in a time loop?" Bree demanded, looking at me with a serious stare. I nodded.

"Yes." I told her. She nodded.

"Okay. When this restarts again, tell Chase 'smashed guitar' and that we need to have a team meeting." She instructed.

"Smashed guitar?" I repeated. She nodded.

"He'll know what you mean." She promised. "Smashed guitar, you got it?"

I nodded and she pushed Noah into my arms. "Protect him." She ordered before speeding out into the fight. I tightened my grip on the infant, took a deep breath and –

 **Xxx**

"Enough." Once again, Chase yank sharply on my arm to pull me away from Carson, turning me to face him. "Rani! Calm down!"

I stepped away from him, feeling lightheaded. The room spun around me for a second before finally settling. "Team meeting." I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Chase asked, concerned. I shook my head, then cleared my throat.

"We need to have a team meeting, right now." I announced.

"I think it can wait." Alivia told me, her tone stern. I shook my head, instantly regretting it when the room started to look unsteady.

"No." I mumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose to try and make myself focus. I looked back up at Chase. "We need to have a team meeting about a smashed guitar."

He frowned at me, confused, and I cursed silently to myself. Bree said he would understand!

To my surprise, after glancing at Bree, Jaden, and Calla, he nodded. "Everyone, mission command. Team meeting."

"What's this about a smashed guitar?" Dani questioned, confused, as we walked out into mission command.

"It's a code phrase of ours." Calla explained, giving me a confused look as she sat down at the cyberdesk.

"It means that what I'm about to say is going to sound psychotic but I need you to trust me anyway." Jaden explained.

"Why do you have the words 'smashed guitar' as your code phrase?" Alivia questioned, confused.

"Marcus." Calla growled, a far away look of hatred clouding her gaze.

"Who told you the code phrase?" Bree questioned, looking at me.

"You did." I told her sincerely. She frowned and shook her head.

"No I didn't." She replied. I nodded.

"You kinda did." I insisted.

"Rani," Chase called my attention back to him. He leaned on the cyberdesk next to Calla, "what is going on?"

"S.H.I.R.T. is on its way here. I don't know if they have capture or kill orders, but they aren't afraid to do the latter. They know we have Carson, and there's going to be too many of them for us to fight, so we need to leave right now." I told them.

"How could you possibly know this?" Skylar asked.

"You guys know that old movie, Groundhog day?" I questioned. "I'm stuck in a timeloop just like that and I know how this ends; with some or maybe all of us getting killed by S.H.I.R.T."

"Are you serious?" Kaz asked, staring at me.

"One hundred percent." I assured him.

"That's not possible, is it?" Bree asked, glancing at her sister-in-law. Calla frowned.

"How did this happen?" She asked, not answering Bree's question yet.

"I cast a spell meant to take me back two minutes while holding your broken amplifier. I'm guessing that amplified my abilities and sent me back to a couple of minutes ago, likely because that was the last time I'd used my magic before I cast the rewind spell." I explained.

"It was broken?" Calla questioned, frowning. I nodded.

"You really need to make thing like that more durable." I replied. She gave me a look.

"The magic might be caught in the wiring." She decided. She glanced at the others. "That's why Rani and I have been having so much trouble combining my tech with her spells; the magic seems to coat it or something." She turned back to me. "How many times have you been through the loop? Has it broken every time?"

"This is the twenty-first, and yeah, it has." I confirmed.

"You believe you?" Oliver questioned, looking at Calla in surprise. Much to my relief, Calla nodded.

"Yeah, I do. And you must have too," she nodded at Bree, "otherwise you'd have no reason to give her the code phrase. Look, Rani, I think that if we don't let this get broken, it might not reactivate the spell that's keeping you in the loop."

"I certainly hope so, but right now, we need to leave." I insisted.

"Grab your things." Chase told the others. I let out a sigh of relief as they listened, Bree speeding upstairs to retrieve Noah from the living room. Chase turned to me. "How does S.H.I.R.T. know?"

"They bugged Kaz." I told him. Kaz stopped at the sound of his name. "Your watch, there's a bug in the back."

"No there isn't." He frowned, taking it off and pulling off the back cover. His eyes widened as he pulled out the tiny, fried, electrical device. "Jessica bugged me?"

"It's dead, thanks to Calla and Dani's ESD, but they heard everything before it cut out." I warned Chase. He nodded.

"Okay, you're right. We need to get out of here." He agreed with me. I couldn't help but smile, grateful that, even if the time loop continued, not all the versions of this day would end in tragedy.

 **Xxx**

"Thanks for letting us stay here, Horace." Oliver thanked the doctor as we all settled ourselves in the staff lounge.

"Of course. You say you've found the people who've taken Spotlight, Scarlet Ace, and the bionic heroes?" He questioned. Alivia nodded.

"More like they found us, but yeah." She confirmed as Chase walked back into the room.

"So, how is the mayor?" I asked, smirking when he stopped short.

"Uh...fine." He replied. I smirked, amused by his reaction to my knowledge of his call.

"The mayor called?" Calla questioned, confused.

"Yes, I'll talk to you about it later. I also got on the phone with Mr. Davenport and Douglas. They're going to send some extra security software and specs to the penthouse so we can up its security. I figure, once S.H.I.R.T. gets Carson back, they'll stay away, but it's better to be safe than sorry. We should be able to go back home in a couple of days though. Thank you, Doctor Diaz, for letting us stay here in the meantime."

"Like I said to Oliver, you're all more than welcome here." Horace gave him a smile before walking away to continue on his rounds.

"Okay, so we know that S.H.I.R.T. is behind this. Why don't we go after them?" Bree questioned, returning from the kitchen area of the room with a warmed bottle of formula. Jaden handed her their son and she began to feed Noah. "If they've got a tactical team out looking for us, then their base should be less protected than usual, right?"

"We don't know for sure that Lily and the others are being held at S.H.I.R.T. They could have other facilities that we don't know about. We need all the details before we go rushing in." Alivia reasoned. I sighed. "I know, I want them back too, but we can't be reckless about it."

"I don't suppose your timeloop thing gave you any more useful information?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, actually." I nodded. "I figured out how Carson's alive. Magic."

"I thought he was just being sarcastic." Dani frowned, confused. "I didn't realize there were spells powerful enough to bring back the dead."

"Oh, there are. I've used one before." I reminded her.

"Dr. Wrath." Alivia realized, looking at me. I nodded.

"All he would need is a powerful enough energy source and a part of Carson's body. I managed it with a dark talisman and Dr. Wrath's ashes." I explained to the others. "Carson couldn't have done it himself though; that means there is someone seriously involved with magic working with him."

"Bosetti you think?" Skylar asked. I shook my head.

"I have no idea." I admitted. I sighed tiredly. "I just really hope this timeloop business is over."

"Do we know for sure that it is?" Oliver questioned.

"I'm afraid to check the time, to be honest." I admitted. I kept wanting to see if we'd passed the time that the timeloop usually reset at, but a part of me was afraid that if I did, I'd get sucked back into the loop.

"It's 3:08 PM." Skylar told me, checking her phone. I let out a deep sigh, falling back on the couch.

"Thank God." I nearly cried.

"I'll take that as a 'we broke the loop'." Calla commented teasingly, rubbing her lower back with a grimace on her face. Oh, I did not envy her - being pregnant looked like it sucked all around. I mean, sure, the miracle of child birth was supposed to be worth it, but it definitely had its cons.

"I can't believe you got trapped in Groundhog Day." Kaz chuckled. He reached forward suddenly, grabbing his IPad. "You know, I should see if that's on Netflix; we should watch it for movie night some time."

"No!" I snapped quickly. He chuckled, typing in the website name on the IPad. "Oh, I did learn one thing during the loop; Kaz and Dani are together again. Sorry to ruin the secret."

Kaz and Dani exchanged looks, equally surprised that I knew about it. "What?" Oliver turned to look at his best friend and his sister.

"It's been like a day. We weren't keeping it a secret. We just...we didn't want to..." Dani trailed off.

"Guys?" Kaz interrupted, but I ignored him.

"You didn't want to rub it in my face, I get it." I assured her. "But seriously, it's fine."

"Guys?" Kaz said again, louder. We all looked at him. He looked up from the IPad, a worried look on his face. "I think someone hacked into our Netflix."

Before any of us could question why this was such a concern, he turned the IPad to show us. On the profile screen where the different profiles had previously been named 'Calla', 'Chase', 'Kaz', 'Oliver', and 'Skylar', there were new profile names. Names that read 'HELP I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED', 'SHIRT IS EVIL', 'AT SHIRT BASE', 'WITH SL, SA, K9 & S1', and 'HELP, AJ'.

"I think that answers where our friends are." I commented dryly, eyes not leaving the fourth profile's name.

"Guys?" Chase looked at us seriously. "Suit up."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: So what did you guys think of Rani's little Groundhog Day adventure? Good, bad, somewhere in between? Anyway, things are definitely going to be interesting with next week's chapter. The schedule is as follows:**

 **Break and Entry: July 14** **th**

 **Sins of the Mother: July 21** **st**

 **Choosing Sides: July 28** **th**

 **Anyway, don't forget to leave a review, and I'll see you guys all next time!**


	48. Break and Entry

**Hey guys. So, I was supposed to update ages ago, and I didn't…I'm sorry. I want to give you guys a real explanation for it, but the truth is, I've just had the worst case of writer's block I've ever had. Seriously, it was just awful. I'm sorry guys. But, the good news is, whatever was blocking my creativity is gone now and, after re-writing the chapter from scratch, I'm back with what I hope will be the most exciting Power of Seven chapters yet. But first, two little matters of business.**

 **Now, I hate having to say this guys, since I know that most of you will never do something like this, but I want to take a very brief moment to talk about plagiarism. Basically, if it's not your words, don't publish them as your own. I don't really get why someone would steal from another fanfic author – you can't make money off our work, nor could it submitted for school grades, which are normally the reasons why people plagiarize – but due to a recent incident in the Lab Rats fandom, it feels important to remind people about this.**

 **Now, on a much brighter note, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: You are absolutely right about that. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter even though it was pretty different that you were expecting – there were a bunch of different directions I could have taken this, and I have to admit I kept going back and forth between two of them, but I'm glad I chose one that you guys all seemed to like. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **Bennweirlover17: Thanks! :)**

 **Guest: I do admit, Civil War was a big inspiration for the motives of characters like Jessica. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying where this is going. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm glad you enjoyed it. There were a few different directions I could have taken the chapter – Dani or Calla were originally supposed to join Rani in the timeloop, and their way out of it altered between simply changing the future to using a device of Calla's. Actually, the time loop was originally supposed to be caused by Calla and Rani experimenting with mixing magic and tech on purpose as opposed to the accident we had in the last chapter, but I'd also intended to post this chapter earlier in the timeline, when Calla was a little earlier in her pregnancy and the stakes weren't as high. As for the motives of this season…Well, Faith's going to get a chance to talk about hers in this chapter, but Bosetti…there is more to his story than you know. That is all I can say without spoiling.. I'm glad you can see both sides of Rani and Skylar's argument – I always try to make sure that both sides of an argument can be seen in my stories, so that the readers can make their own opinions on it. And I felt like I needed to address that at one point, the fact that some of them had more to lose than the others. Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar weren't as close to any of the missing heroes as any of the others, and ignoring that fact would be a mistake. LOL, you're right – Rani did let the cat out of the bag there. And she's definitely not going to look at Kaz and Dani the same after this, that's for sure. Yeah, she's had a pretty rough day, and well, I don't make things any easier in this chapter either. I'm glad you liked the code work too – I figured that after the Marcus incident, Calla and Leo probably would have come up with a number of safe words between the two of them, and that one just seemed to fit the situation perfectly. It does suck that Kaz and Dani were talking when it happened – I was really torn between having them help Rani and that being how their secret got revealed. I like the way I ended up doing things, but I can't help but wonder how the chapter would have turned out if I'd done it a different way. Interesting theory about Sienna. I can't confirm or deny anything yet, but I promise that you will find out soon. Thanks about the Netflix idea – I actually came up with it when my brother changed his Netflix nickname. LOL, I have a similar habit when I'm not in school – I don't end up going to bed until 3 or 4 (sometimes 5 if I'm working on a chapter that I'm desperate to finish), then end up sleeping till 2 in the afternoon. And my mom wasn't as secretive of her jealousy for it, lol. Also good theory about Faith and the Engineer. That theory will either be confirmed or destroyed soon too. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, even though it's a LOT later than planned.**

 **Algernon23: You are definitely right about that. Actually, it's the third longest chapter I've ever written, with only You Posted What?! and The Vanishing being longer (though those were both 18,000 words a piece, and that's really hard to beat). Yeah, some of them – Rani especially – are definitely going to be effected by some of the events of this past season, that's for sure. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. And oh my God, thank you so much for the 5-year anniversary message you gave me. I really appreciate all the sweet things you said about my writing and my passion for it. Seriously, you brought such a big smile to my face and I really needed that. Thank you so much. I really hope you enjoy the chapter and don't worry – while I may take the occasional HIATUS because of writer's block or school, I don't plan on going anywhere for a while yet. :)**

 **KitCatWolfMCSW: First off, please know that I am super jealous that you went to SDCC and I didn't. I've always wanted to go, but it's super expensive when you have to fly there from another country. I hope you had a wonderful time. Second off, thanks so much! I really hope you love this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the rest of the series.**

 **StealingAintCool: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The situation has been dealt with. I really appreciate the heads up.**

 **SzymonS: Please don't apologize – work and school and life comes first before reading, even though we may sometimes wish it didn't. Besides, after such a long, sudden HIATUS, I'd have no ground to stand on even if I had been upset. Yes, Jessica was in on it. It's always the nice ones you have to worry about, isn't it? I do have more in store for her though, so stay tuned. Faith's pissing me off too, man. But I do have more in store for her too, in terms of revealing her motivation and a few other things about her. As much as Carson was asking for it, I think torturing people is more of a villain thing to do. Good guys shouldn't need to resort to something like that, because if they drop to that level, they risk becoming like the people they're trying to stop. The alien artifact will come back into play really soon, I swear. As for what Bridget was talking about, well…you'll have to keep reading to see how that turns out. This will be explained more in a future chapter, but S.H.I.R.T. is more like an independent organization functioning like a government organization. I believe that's actually illegal in the non-fiction world, but it's not actually funded or supported by any real government. As for a sentimental ending for these characters, I do have a couple of things in the works. One of them is** _ **Legacies**_ **, a story about the character's kids. A number of the heroes will be making cameos, especially in the first chapter, and two of our favorites will actually be main characters. I also have something else in the works, but I don't want to say anything about that until it's finished (I have a number of writing projects in the works, some fanfiction-related and some not) because I want to be able to give you guys a release date on that as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Amazingchichi741: Enjoy.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, it's time for the story!**

 **Faith: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or the Elite Force series. She only owns this story, all OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Miles' POV**

I was in the middle of going through a stack of paperwork on my desk when I heard a knock on my office door. "Hey." I looked up to see Jessica standing in the open doorway. "Can we – are you busy?"

"Not really. No one's here, so I'm pretty much just going through all the back-logged reports." I replied, leaning back in my chair. I could tell right off the bat that something was up – Jessica was biting her lip, as if she were nervous about something, and there was something in her eyes. I couldn't put a name to the exact emotion – some sort of cross between sad and worried. "What's up?"

"No one's here?" Jessica repeated, frowning in confusion.

"Well, it's actually just the tactical team that's gone, but it seems like a lot. They're out on a tactical training exercise – Agent Graham's idea. Now, what did you need?" I asked again, not allowing her to change the topic. She hesitated. "Jessica, what is it?"

"I…" She licked her lips, glancing over her shoulder before dropping into a chair in front of my desk and covering her hands with her face. She said something else, but it was muffled.

"You wanna say that again? This time maybe while looking up?" I questioned, putting my pen down. She didn't move for a second, then raised her head.

"I think I made a mistake." She said slowly, taking care in choosing her words.

"I'm sure whatever you did wasn't that bad. Go talk to Graham when he gets back from the exercise – I'm sure he'll help you get out of it." Graham could be kind of a jackass when he wanted to be, but Jessica was his protégé; I'd be surprised if he didn't give her a hand the one time she'd screwed up around here.

"No, I…I did something. Well, no, I _helped_ do something, and…" She took a deep breath before starting over. "Have you ever done something, and, at the time you thought you were doing the right thing, but in hindsight, you realized that you were wrong? Like, really wrong?"

"Wrong how?" I inquired, confused as to what she was talking about. From what she'd said and from the solemn tone of her voice, it didn't seem like this was some minor screw up. "Jessica, what did you do?"

Jessica opened her mouth to reply, when suddenly, there was a high pitch sound, then an explosion, seeming to come from the other end of the facility.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, standing up at my desk. I started out of the office, as it was my job to secure this place. An explosion could just be one of the scientists screwing up - Faith had always had a particular liking for explosions - or something similar, but more likely, there was something seriously wrong.

Before I could go to check it out, however, Jessica grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Wait." She told me, eyes wide.

"Uh, can this wait? There's kind of an emergency happening." I demanded, glancing out my door to where agents were racing towards the source of the explosion.

"No, it can't." She insisted. I hesitated, then, after seeing the expression on her face and seeing how many of the agents were going to deal with the explosion, I sighed.

"Fine, but make it quick." I instructed.

 **Chase's POV**

"Well, it looks like Kaz, Skylar, and Dani's distraction went according to plan." Oliver chuckled to himself, watching through my holographic screen as S.H.I.R.T. agents raced towards the source of the explosions. We were carefully hidden in the water passage underneath the floor plates of B-level 2, using my holo-projector to watch the guards until we knew it was safe to go in.

"They're just beginning too." Alivia added, cocking her head to the side a little as she silently communicated with the duplicate that was helping the three of them keep the attention of the agents locked on themselves. "They're planning on setting off a few more minor explosives before using that signal blocker that Calla gave them."

I nodded to myself. "Good. As soon as they set that off, then the agents won't be able to call for help when they realize who is attacking their base." I tapped my comm. "Hey babe, we're going to go dark soon."

 _"Alright. Be careful."_ Calla warned, sounding just a little frustrated. She'd suggested the blocker, knowing it was a good idea, but the fact that she was currently stuck at Mighty Med, waiting for us to get back was no doubt infuriating to her. But with her being nearly 9 months pregnant and all, coming out here, even to save our friends, wasn't an option for her. _"Grab AJ and get out. No wasting time. Bree, Rani, and Alivia's other duplicate will get the others."_

"We know, Calla." Oliver rolled his eyes at her worrying. "Jaden have an update on the agents they sent after us?"

 _"They just arrived at the penthouse."_ Calla replied. _"He's going to stalk the place out until they leave. I'll send…"_ She cut off for a moment, and I thought that maybe the comms had gone out, but then a minute later she continued. _"Uh, sorry. What was I saying? Right, I'll send a ping to Chase and Bree's chips to let you know when it's safe to go home."_

"Calla, what was that? You okay?" I asked, concerned by the sudden pause. She hadn't been feeling well before we left, but she'd insisted that it was just cramps and evening sickness and that I worried too much. All of that was probably true, but I still couldn't help but worry about her.

" _Yeah, it's just cramps. I'm_ -" The comms fizzled out just then.

"They activated the blocker." Alivia told us, confirming that everything was going according to plan for now. She glanced at me. "She's fine, Chase."

"Right, yeah." I nodded, then shook my head to clear it. I needed to focus. "Time to move." I declared, waiting a moment for the holoscreen to show that the hallway was clear before activated my plasma bo. I raised it into the metal plating as Oliver braced it on his shoulders. I quickly cut a hole big enough in the plating for us to crawl through and Oliver lifted it out of our way. Alivia climbed through ahead of us, immediately darting towards the nearby wall to look for incoming agents.

"We've got three incoming!" She hissed, sliding closer to the wall. I dropped back down into the area below, while Oliver prepared for an incoming attack.

The agents charged into the hallway, but judging by the way they froze upon seeing Oliver, they'd been rushing towards the source of the explosion instead of coming to attack a set of intruders.

"Stop!" One of them shouted, raising his weapon. His fellow agents followed suit. Oliver raised his hands and a wave of ice shot out of his hands. One of the agents dropped down to avoid it, while the other two darted to opposite sides to try and outflank him. Having seen Faith and Miles' agents do this before, Alivia and I had been expecting it; the moment they moved, Alivia and I launched into action. Alivia leapt out of the shadows at the agent, tackling him from behind while I raised my hand and used my telekinesis to grab ahold of her legs and pull her down into the hole with me. The sudden movement caught her off guard and I took advantage of her surprise, quickly knocking her out before levitating myself out of the hole. By the time I got back out there, Alivia was standing over the unconscious body of another agent, while Oliver was just finishing freezing the one that had attacked him.

"Well, that was easy." Oliver commented smugly. I rolled my eyes, knowing that getting out of here would be worse than coming in.

"Let's just find AJ, shall we?" I suggested, gesturing towards the hall.

"Rani, Bree, and Skylar have reached B-level 3. They should be reaching the others soon." Alivia mentioned, passing me by as she headed past me down the empty hall. Oliver pushed past her though, turning the corner and shooting ice from his hands. Alivia and I raced to catch up, only to see that Oliver had used his icicles to pin the two guards to the wall, preventing them from calling for help or attacking us before they could even think to do so.

"Nice." Alivia complimented, grabbing the doorknob and trying to turn it. She frowned when the knob wouldn't turn. "It's locked from the inside."

I pounded on the door, and a scared but angry voice responded. "I have a weapon!" AJ threatened.

"A, there's no way they'd give you a weapon and B, it's us, man." I told him. A moment passed, then the door clicked as he unlocked the door. The door opened up to show AJ, holding up a book as a weapon. "Seriously?"

"It's been a long couple of days." He argued, even as he gave us all a relieved smile.

"Tell us about it." Alivia rolled her eyes. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." We spun around to see Faith Parker standing at the end of the hall, a long, black weapon in her hands. She lifted a walkie-talkie to her mouth, watching us with wary eyes.

"The idiots on the main floor aren't our only intruders. There are three on B-level 2. Be warned: there may be more on the premises, possibly heading for B-level 4." She released the walkie-talkie, letting it swing by its cord before adjusting her weapon to aim it at us. "You're finished."

 **Rani's POV**

Bree, Alivia, and I stopped suddenly as a loud, blaring alarm sounded off throughout the floor. "I don't think the distraction worked as well as we hoped it would."

"It's Faith." Alivia explained, getting some of her information from one of her other duplicates. "She caught me, Chase, and Oliver just as we reached AJ."

"It doesn't matter. We knew it wouldn't last for long." We'd hoped that the series of explosions would keep everyone's attention focused on Skylar, Kaz, and Dani, at least until we could make sure that the others were out of wherever S.H.I.R.T. was holding them (or even better, back at Mighty Med 2.0., especially if any of them were injured), but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Still, their outright assault on the underground base would still be the agents' main focus, which was the idea, I supposed.

"Skylar, Kaz, and Dani are being overrun." Alivia announced, worriedly. She glanced at us. "I'd be more help to them if they had all my focus."

"Go. We'll be fine." Bree assured her, and Alivia's duplicate vanished. "That's so weird to see."

"You get used to it." I shrugged before looking down the two dark hallways. "I don't suppose you know which way we're going?"

"Let's see, shall we?" Bree smirked before speeding off down one of the halls. Barely a second passed before a blur of motion raced by me, heading down the other hall. Another second later, and she was skidding to a stop next to me. "Hall on the left has about seven guards protecting some door. Sounds like it's the place we wanna be."

"Definitely. But what's on the right?"

"A couple of agents who almost saw me, a security room, a janitor's closet, and what I think might have been Faith's lab." She replied. "But definitely no access to cells of any kind."

"Left it is then." I decided. Bree and I slowly crept through the hall, stopping when we heard the sounds of a few of the agents talking to one another.

"Okay, three are directly in front of the door, and two on either side of them." Bree whispered, giving me the layout. I nodded. "You take left, I get right, and then whoever's done first gets to deal with the middle guys?"

"You're on." I smirked before raising a hand. Our shadows twitched at my command, then slowly sunk back to hide directly underneath us, preventing them from giving us away prematurely to the guards as we slowly moved closer. I waited for Bree's signal - a simple nod, not even looking at me - before launching into action.

"Hey boys!" Bree called, getting their attention before speeding at one of them, slamming him into the nearby wall with her forearm at his throat. Meanwhile, I pulled at the guards' shadows, lifting them off the ground and then wrapping them around the guards' ankles. Unfortunately, this didn't entirely work the way I'd hoped, because even though their feet were immobilized, their hands certainly weren't. Before I had time to restrain their hands or arms, I was forced to pull the shadows around their feet to directly in front of me in order to shield myself from an array of incoming bullets. Damn, I hated it when people used real guns over blasters.

I pushed the shadow shield out at them, successfully knocking a few of the guards over before being forced to drop to the ground to avoid being shot by some of the other guards.

 _"Mutata obnubilatus ab metallum!"_ I called, raising my hand at their bullets. Much to my amusement, and to the guard's shock, the bullets turned from hardened metal to puffs of harmless mist in an instant.

I stumbled back, feeling the drain of the magic on me. I'd overtaxed myself with that timeloop business - using magic now wasn't a very good idea.

Bree sped forward past me, knocking one of the guards on their ass before darting back to my side. I raised my shadow shield up again, giving us a brief respite from the enemy. "We can't beat them like this." I told her breathlessly. She nodded.

"I think I have an idea." She replied. I smiled.

"Great! What is it?" I demanded. She thought about it for a second.

"Buy me time." She instructed. Before I could ask anything more about her plan, she sped off, leaving me to deal with the rest of the guards until her plan could be put into action.

"I hate speedsters." I muttered to myself before turning to face the guards.

 **Chase's POV**

"Faith, think about this. Do you really want to kill us?" I questioned, subtly stepping in front of AJ. When Alivia suddenly disappeared with a barely a quick apology, Faith had startled, readjusting her grip on her weapon and aiming it right at us.

"I don't want you to escape." She replied. "Now stand down. If you surrender, maybe the boss will let you live."

"Maybe." I hummed, not believing her for a second. "Is this the same boss who sent armed gunmen to our home?"

"Perhaps." Faith smirked, clearly entertained by the thought. Then the smile faded from her face. "Now, do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

"Well, the easy way just isn't that much fun, now is it?" I retorted before glancing over my shoulder. "Oliver, get AJ out of here."

"Uh…" Oliver hesitated, glancing past me at Faith. "You sure about that?"

"I can handle her." I assured him. Faith let out a noise – half snort, half laughter. Oliver grabbed AJ's arm and went to lead him off to the side, but, unsurprisingly, Faith reacted quickly to their movement. She turned the weapon on them, finger twitching on the trigger, but clearly unwilling to shoot. I couldn't tell why - perhaps it was as simple as she didn't want to kill anybody, but more likely, she knew that AJ was important to Bosetti. Regardless, her hesitation gave me the chance to intervene, and I lunged at her, my plasma bo staff appearing in my hand as I moved.

Her attention snapped back to me, and this time, when she re-aimed her weapon at me, she pulled the trigger. Having already calculated that this would be her reaction, I spun my bo staff at the right moment to block the attack, the bo staff literally stopping the tiny ball of electricity in midair.

While all this was happening, AJ and Oliver disappeared, Oliver cleverly using my distraction to get the kid out of harm's way. Hopefully, they would be able to make it to Kaz, Alivia, Dani, and Skylar safely, but if not, I was more than confident that Oliver could defend the both of them.

"Faith, that's enough!" I flipped my bo staff into her hand and it knocked the weapon to the ground and gave her a small burn on her hand. She hissed in pain, pulling her hand back and giving me a furious look. "Why would you want to kill us? Calla and Jaden are your family!"

"You're kidding me, right?" She demanded, holding her hand. "No, you're not, are you? You'd never understand."

"What's there to understand? Family is family; you're supposed to stand with them, not against."

"Calla and Jaden made their choice. I made a different one - I made the right one." She retorted. Her face darkened as she continued. "I was in the St. Isidore Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia four years ago. I assume you know what happened?"

"I do." That had been the hospital for 'Normos' the hid the original Mighty Med.

"Do you know how many people died?" She questioned. "How many people lost a loved one because of some grudge match between your people?"

"They weren't bionic." I corrected instinctively. "And that's not exactly what happened."

"Bionic, mutant, alien, does it really matter? You're all 'super' and we're the 'Normos'. That's what they affectionately call us, right? The ones without powers?" Faith questioned, pacing slowly around me, but making sure to keep the exit behind her. By now, she'd have surely noticed Oliver and AJ's disappearance, but apparently, she could care less. "And that's exactly what happened. Some 'supers' got ticked off at others, and they killed nearly sixty 'Normos' in the process of getting revenge."

"That's tragic, it really is, but what does that have to do with this?" I questioned, adjusting my grip on my bo staff.

"Twelve of you did that. Twelve. All that damage, all those lives lost, all to twelve of you. There are nearly 80 more of you on this planet, and that number keeps growing. Imagine what you all of you could do to us."

"Those people who attacked the hospital, they were criminals. Terrorists, even. But not all of us are like them." I pointed out. She scoffed.

"Please. Give anyone a big enough weapon and a powerful enough reason, and they're capable of anything. You're a threat to us, Chase, maybe not now but one day." She insisted. "And this world will be so much safer without you in it."

"So you're just going to wipe us all out?" I challenged, shocked by her conviction to such an insane plan. "In case we become threats?"

"If I have to." She retorted. She glanced at her weapon on the ground, then tapped a metal bracelet on her wrist. A long bo staff made out of red plasma appeared in the palm of her hand. She smirked at my surprised expression. "I took eight years of Kenjutsu, Brainiac. Don't think beating me will be that easy."

 **Rani's POV**

I dropped to my knees, raising my hands to shoot a wave of shadows towards the incoming guards. Two of them were knocked to the ground by it, but the others were smart, ducking behind two pillars on either side of the hall to avoid being taken out by my blast. I raised the shadows again, using them as a shield this time as they turned their own weapons on me.

These guys were good, better than the normal security guards we dealt with. We'd seriously underestimated what S.H.I.R.T.'s agents were capable of, and that was coming back to bite us in the ass. Well, more me than Bree - whatever her idea had been, she hadn't come back yet from putting it into place, and I was starting to worry.

I glanced past my shield to see one of the guards pull out a different looking weapon - a long, bronze gun that looked to be made of some serious tech. Still, it's not like their weapons mattered - nothing could penetrate my shadowy shield, regardless of whether they were using bullets, energy blasts, or hardened plasma. Shadows were impervious to everything, which I had to admit was one of my favorite things about them.

I spun around, forcing my shield outwards at them, smiling in satisfaction when it crashed into one of the guards. He hit the wall hard, then slid to the ground, unconscious. Finally! One down, four to go.

"Bitch!" I heard one of them shout and I once again brought my shield up, settling behind it while I prepared another attack. But then, the impossible happened.

"AH!" I cried out as a searing hot pain raced across my arm, a beam of pure light jutting out from my shield. I dropped the shield in reaction, stunned, and the guards took advantage. I dropped to my stomach, narrowly avoiding their weapons, then sent a shadowy wave at them. It didn't do much in the way of hurting them, but it did give me the chance to stagger back to my feet.

I saw the guard who'd insulted me raise his bronze weapon again. I reacted instantly, raising my hands to blast him before he could take me out. His blast came a second sooner than I expect and it crashed into my own shadow ball. The explosion that resulted from their collision was powerful, powerful enough to knock both of us back several feet. But instead of hitting the metal door like I expected, the door slid upwards into the ceiling at the last minute, allowing me to fall through it.

The air rushed from my lungs as I hit the hard ground, and for a moment, I blinked up at the ceiling, dazed. Then I heard a familiar voice.

"What, you just going to let them beat you, Shadow Girl?"

I barely had time to react to the voice before the guards came rushing into the room. I swung my legs over my head, rolling on my shoulder until I was on one knee, facing the guards. I thrust my hands forward, shooting out a blast of shadows, but not nearly as powerful as I had been shooting before.

Because now, it wasn't just the guards that I could end up hitting. Now that I'd somehow ended up inside the cell area - Bree's doing, if I had to guess - it put Lily, Kieran, Taylor, and Liam all at risk for being hit by my blows. The four of them were all as close to the electric cell bars as they dared, watching me face off against the guards. I could tell by some of their expressions that they wanted to help, but for the time being, all they could do was watch.

I raised my shadow shield again, this time backing far enough from it to avoid another close call with the guard's light weapon.

"Rani, down!" I heard Lily yell through the shield and I ducked, trusting her advice without needing to check. It was a good thing I listened too, for a couple of balls of light, roughly the size of baseballs, shot through my shield. Had I not dropped low when I did, they would have clocked me right in the head.

I stayed close to the ground, but spun around with one knee bent and the other outstretched, using the momentum to not only help direct a shadow ball towards the guards, but to add a little bit of strength to it as well. It hit one of the guards in the chest, knocking him back into the bars of Taylor's cell. The bionic girl let out a surprised noise, obviously not having realized he was there until the bars audibly sizzled when he hit it.

He fell to the ground, unconscious, and for a moment I was very pleased with myself before realizing that I still needed to take three of them out. It didn't seem possible - I was already exhausted and quickly running out of steam, and I'd managed to take out less than half of them. If I was going to win this, I needed a miracle.

Now, I don't actually believe in miracles - randomly, seemingly impossible, good things just happening to people for no good reason? That just didn't happen in this world. But I did believe in coincidences, and what happened next was the best possible coincidence I could have asked for.

Assuming it was Bree who had opened the door to let me in here the first time, she must have just figured out the controls for the cells, because suddenly, the electric bars didn't just deactivate, they disappeared. They slid into the ceiling above the others, and all hell broke loose.

 **Chase's POV**

I spun around, spinning my bo staff towards Faith, only for her to sidestep the strike and attempt to slam her own bo staff into my stomach. I raised mine just in time to stop the blow in its tracks, but the bo staff still got close enough for it to singe the front on my mission uniform.

I darted backwards, spinning my bo staff in front of me to keep Faith from following. I was the last person to ever underestimate lab monkeys in their ability to fight, but she was still much better than I'd expected. Her style was very different than what Mr. Davenport had taught us - her movements were more fluid, almost like dance moves, and she kept her hands much closer together than I'd been taught to - and while I wasn't sure which technique was better, it certainly did show that she knew what she was doing.

I stood up straight, using the bionic computer in my head to try and analyze her fighting style to get some sort of advantage. "You had enough?" I called, hoping that a conversation in the middle of all this would distract her. No dice though - she just smirked and lunged at me, spinning her bo staff towards me. I raised mine to stop it, but she stopped at the last minute, turning on her heel to give her more momentum as she changed her attack to hit my in the leg. I stumbled back to avoid it, but she took advantage of that, stepping forward to continue her attack.

The bo staff skimmed my leg, but I pushed down the flash of pain and swung my own bo staff at her. It caught her in the shoulder and she let out a cry as she stumbled back, one hand reaching up to grasp her shoulder. She glowered at me hatefully. "You're done, bionic boy. You might as well give up now."

I smirked, but at the words 'Analysis complete' appearing on my internal monitor, rather than at her. Faith spun around to attack again, but this time, I was ready; my inner computer showing me a glowing line that represented the most likely direction for her attack to go. I sidestepped it, much like she had sidestepped my attack earlier, and slammed my elbow into her already hurt shoulder. She dropped to one knees and unexpectedly swung her bo staff out. Thankfully, because I was so close to her, she actually ended up hitting me with her forearms instead of the burning hot staff, but the blow was still sudden enough and strong enough to cause me to trip and fall.

I sprawled out on the ground next to the weapon Faith had abandoned earlier, my bo staff disappearing as it fell from my hands. "Sorry, Calla," Faith murmured from above me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw her bo staff raised right above my head, "but you'll forgive me one day."

I reached for Faith's abandoned weapon, rolled onto my back, and pulled the trigger just as she brought the bo staff down. Her strike missed, but the ball of electricity that came from the gun hit her dead on in the chest. The blast threw her backwards and she hit the ground with a thud. She didn't get up.

I cautiously walked over to her, uncertain if this was a trick, but when she didn't get up, I pressed the gun to her back and checked her pulse. She was still alive, just unconscious. I glanced at the weapon, then deciding that Calla would want to take a look at it, I took off, leaving Faith for Bosetti to find later.

 **Rani's POV**

Lily and Kieran were the first to react, the former instantly using her telekinesis to shove the nearest guard into the bionic boy's waiting fist. Taylor, on the other hand, was a little slower to act, instead choosing strategy over speed. She slowly approached a guard, purposefully acting clumsy and clueless as to where she was to draw him in. It was his mistake though, because as soon as he reached for her, she grabbed his hand and twisted it painfully, bringing him down to his knees.

I faced off against the last remaining guard, the one with the light weapon, but this time, I was ready. When he tried to shoot me with a stream of rapid fire light blasts, I raised my hands, sending a shadowy shield towards it. From my left, Liam stepped in close, raising his hand to combine his light with my darkness. The two opposites hit the balls of light and overwhelmed them until our blast hit the gun. The power of my and Liam's combined forces destroyed the front of the weapon and sent the guard flying. I didn't bother to look where he hit though, knowing there was no way he was getting up from that blast.

I turned around to help Taylor with her opponent, but Bree beat me to the punch, speeding in at the last second to slam into the side of the guard. He stumbled backwards, stunned by her sudden, violent appearance, mistakenly allowing Taylor the chance to use her powers. She raised her hands and, using her telekinesis, brought the electric bars back down from where they'd been stored in the ceiling, not stopping until the cell was locked and closed.

"You-" The guard stammered, shocked. Taylor smirked, stepping close to the bars, her milky white eyes staring sightlessly into the cell.

"Let's see how you like it, shall we?" She teased, her tone smug.

"Well, glad you could come and help." I commented sarcastically, turning to Bree.

"What do you call this?" She retorted, gesturing vaguely at the others. Then something occurred to me.

"Rani!" Liam called out in surprised as I raised my hands and my shadows pushed him against the wall. "What the hell?"

"If they had one shapeshifter, they could have more." I pointed out, speaking more to Bree than anyone else. I wasn't about to let another imposter into our home. I wasn't going to fall for it again.

"We were together the entire time, Rani. I think we'd know if any of us were a fake." Lily pointed out. Liam squirmed under my shadow's grasp.

"Seriously, Shadows, let me go! Now!" He snapped, annoyed.

"Then prove that it's you." I replied calmly. He rolled his eyes.

"Geez, why'd I have to go and fall in love with the crazy one?" He muttered. I pushed harder on his chest with my shadows.

"Prove it." I insisted.

"Rani..." Bree warned, glancing at the unconscious guards around us. They could wake up at any moment, I knew that, but it was worth the risk to make sure we weren't bringing home another fake.

"Prove it." I repeated for the last time. Liam looked at me, then sighed.

"Alright, fine. Uh...uh...You, uh...Okay. Got it. Dani's smoothie mix keeps going missing. You blamed it on Angela, even though we both know it was you. You secretly love musicals, but you threatened to kill me if I ever told Barry, Dani, or Alan. And uh, did I mention you were crazy?"

I contemplated what he said for a moment, judging whether or not it was possible for an imposter to know that, or if it were something he would have been forced to tell them. After a moment, I waved my hand and called my shadows back.

"Sorry. Had to be sure." I explained. Kieran gave me a look, but Liam nodded in understanding.

"Can we go now?" He asked, glancing at Bree. She nodded.

"We're supposed to meet the others in the south-west tunnel. Let's go." Bree gestured at the door. I led the way first, extending my shadows in front of me to use as a shield if necessary.

"You okay?" Liam asked, keeping pace with me. I nodded quietly, tired. "I can lead if you need me to."

I glanced back at him, taking in his appearance. Though he'd definitely been able to hold his own back there, I could easily tell that he wasn't as fit and healthy as he normally was. "No, I got this." I assured him. He didn't respond, so I rolled my eyes at him to reassure him. "Besides, haven't you ever heard that you're supposed to let the lady go first?"

"Fair enough." He agreed, smiling a little at that.

We made our way through the tunnels, careful to avoid as many of the guards as we could. They weren't all avoidable, but Bree was taking care of most of them, speeding forward to take them out before they could realize that we had the prisoners with us.

It was only when we neared the tunnels did we reach a problem. "Shit." I stopped suddenly, pressing myself up against the wall. I'd just nearly walked us into a hall full of heavily armed guards, led by my least favorite blonde.

"What's the problem?" Kieran hissed.

"Jessica. She's got about six guys with her." I replied before glancing around the corner. Unfortunately for me, I happened to look just as Jessica was looking around. Our gazes met, and I knew we were screwed. "She saw me."

"Shit." Taylor repeated my earlier sentiments. I took a deep breath, preparing to attack, when I heard one of the guards speak up.

"Something wrong, Henderson?" She called. Jessica hesitated before responding.

"No. Actually...look, I don't think they're going to come this way." She sighed loudly. I frowned in confusion, then looked past the others at Bree. She looked as confused as I did. "We should try the north exit. I'll send a couple of DeCook's guys to watch here, but I think our time is better spent focusing on actually likely escape paths."

"You sure?" The female guard asked.

"Yes." Jessica seemed more confident in her answer this time. "Besides, if they were planning to come this way, then they've already gotten out."

"Let's go, boys." The female guard called to her fellow agents. We heard retreating footsteps, then nothing.

"Uh...are you sure she saw you?" Lily questioned. I nodded, frowning.

 _"Quot hic vivit?"_ I whispered. I sagged against the wall as the magic drained me, but to my surprise, I only felt it pulse back at me six times. "They're gone."

"Are you sure?" Taylor too sounded suspicious of the situation. I nodded, closing my eyes against a wave of vertigo.

"That spell should have told me how many people were here. I only felt us." I replied. Bree nodded slowly, still cautious though she seemed to believe me.

"Be on guard." She warned, taking the lead. Liam grabbed my arm to help me up, but I brushed him off, following closely behind Bree. To our genuine surprise, we didn't encounter trouble of any kind as we made it into the unguarded underground tunnels.

Before long, we reached the prearranged meet-up spot - a small alleyway near a tunnel entrance and beside this old arcade. Kaz, Dani, Alivia, Skylar, and Jaden were all waiting for us impatiently, standing in front of three Davenport Industries company cars.

"What, did you guys take on

, the others already there waiting for us. Kaz, Dani, Alivia, Skylar, and Jaden were all waiting for us, looking incredibly impatient.

"What, did you guys take on the entire base by yourselves?" Kieran called, taking in their appearances. I didn't blame him - the only one of them that didn't look like they'd been on the losing end of a fight was Jaden. Each and every one of them looked tired and hurt in some shape or form. By the looks of things, we'd all had a really, really rough day.

But that didn't stop Alivia's face from lighting up at the sight of us, or more specifically, the sight of Lily. "Lil!" She cried as her girlfriend raced past us, suddenly filled with energy herself, and threw her arms around the redhead's neck. Alivia dropped her face into the crook of Lily's neck, trembling slightly with relief. "I thought...thank God you're okay."

"God, I love you." Lily responded, pulling back, tears of relief in her eyes.

"What, I don't get a hello?" Liam mentioned jokingly.

"Come here." Dani chuckled, pulling the taller boy in for a hug. When he pulled away, he gave me a pointed grin.

"See? That is how you greet people. Not attacking them." He teased. I rolled my eyes, albeit slightly amused.

"You guys okay? Where are Chase, Oliver, and AJ?" I questioned.

"We're fine. And I don't...nevermind, here they are." Kaz replied, looking past me. Sure enough, AJ, Oliver, and Chase were running towards us, the latter carrying a long weapon like the one the guard had been using against me.

"We need to go, now." Chase told us, motioning for the cars.

"We're pretty sure we got caught by a guard on our way up here." Oliver explained as we followed the bionic genius, each of us piling into different cars. Letting Bree drive, I took the front passenger seat of our car while AJ, Skylar, and Liam took the back seats. The moment we got in, Jaden's voice could be heard on all the intercoms that Calla had made sure to install in the company cars.

"Okay, the penthouse is clear, and we've got MISS on level 5 security, which will pretty much vaporize anyone she doesn't recognize." He let us know.

"So no ordering pizza. Got it." Kaz's voice came from another one of the cars as we all pulled out of the alley and onto the main road. I rolled my eyes, trying to get comfortable in my seat.

"We're all heading back to the penthouse, then?" Liam questioned, uncertain. "Not home base?"

"We've been using the Davenport's penthouse as a base of operations for a few months now." I explained to him. He frowned, but nodded.

"Yeah. I'm going to get Oliver to drop me off at the hospital though - Calla's not returning my calls and I want to check in."

"Is she okay?" Kieran asked quickly, concerned.

"Well, she's eight and a half months pregnant, so..." Dani commented, a little bit of a laugh in her voice. "I'm sure her opinion on that varies from moment to moment."

"We're just going to pick her and Noah up and then we'll meet you guys at home, alright?" Oliver told us.

"Alright, see you guys at home." Skylar replied and the intercom went out. I watched as the car in front of us pulled away and turn down a side road. I sighed and leaned against the window, all the events of the day starting to catch up on me.

"You guys okay?" Bree questioned, glancing at Liam and AJ through the rearview mirror. "You want to stop by Mighty Med 2.0. too?"

"No, but I seriously wouldn't mind that pizza Kaz was talking about." Liam mentioned, only half-joking. "What about you, man?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see him talking to AJ. AJ just shrugged and continued to look outside. Liam frowned and sent the rest of us a confused look. I shrugged; the kid was probably just as tired as us or something.

"AJ?" Skylar asked. "Mighty Med?"

"No, I'm okay." He replied. She nodded, but still looked a little worried about the kid. I was sure he was fine though. And besides, knowing Dani, Kaz, and Oliver, they were going to double-check at the penthouse to make sure everyone was okay. Until then, I just wanted to sleep.

 **Chase's POV**

"Well, about time." Jazz was waiting for me in the entrance to Mighty Med 2.0., gently rocking a sleeping Noah in her arms. "You're phone's off."

"Dani, Kaz, and Skylar set off a device that blocked signals." I explained, a little confused why she seemed so frustrated. "Where's Calla?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. "C'mon." She motioned for me to follow her and she started leading me through the halls.

"What's going on?" I questioned as we passed by the rec room that my wife had been set up in earlier. Jazz didn't answer, instead leading me down another hallway until she stopped at one of the doors. Confused, I walked in, seeing Calla sitting cross-legged on the bed, wearing a dark purple hospital gown and a couple of monitors. Her eyes were tightly closed as she tightly gripped one of the bed's pillows. "Uh...babe?"

She raised a finger at me, motioning for me to wait for a moment until she let out a slow, painful breath and opened her eyes. "So, contractions suck." She murmured, giving me a half smile. I frowned, confused.

"Contractions?" I repeated. "No, that must be false contractions. They can happen sometimes happen in the weeks prior to the baby being born."

"No, trust me. These are real." Calla assured me, one hand rubbing her lower back. I stared at her.

"The baby's not due for another 2 weeks." I pointed out, slowly entering the room.

"Yeah, well, it seems that my impatience can be passed down." Calla replied. I opened my mouth to object again, because no, this wasn't happening, I wasn't ready yet. "Chase, early or not, the baby's coming."

"Uh, right. Yeah." Even my mind was having trouble wrapping itself around this. I was about to be a dad. Okay. Yeah, sure. Totally wasn't freaking out in the slightest.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you think? Good, bad? Let me know! For all you Rani/Liam (do we have a pairing name for them yet? Is it Lani, or have you guys come up with something better?) fans, they're going to have a bit more of a spotlight in the next chapter. Anyway, since my writing groove is back, and I'm on a steady school schedule again, here's the new update schedule:**

 **September 18** **th** **: No Place Like Home**

 **September 24** **th** **: No Turning Back**

 **October 1** **st** **: Heroes**

 **So anyway, I guess I will see you all next week! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	49. No Place Like Home

**Kihonne: Okay guys, I'm back! This time, with No Place Like Home! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I think everyone's waiting for Baby Challa with baited breath. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!**

 **Algernon23: Yes. Alive is good, and so is Baby Challa! Yeah, the aftermath…well, it's going to be rougher for some characters than others. Yes, I'm alive, and I'm back. And I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon. I still have so many plans for this series, even after we move past The Power of Seven. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Foreeverlondon66: Huh, that's weird. I sent you a PM after I first saw your review, but I'm going to assume you never received it since you never responded. Are you sure that your account has enabled PMs? If you aren't sure, go to your account settings, then scroll down to the bottom. If the 'Accept Private Messages' section is set to no, then you won't be able to receive PMs, and the ones you try to send wont' reach the people you're trying to PM.**

 **SzymonS: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! As for Faith, it's not as simple as you make it seem. First off, she's not just killing everyone – she's targeting specific people who can kill hundreds of innocent people. In her mind, she's protecting people by taking them out. Secondly, killing the heroes is the only way S.H.I.R.T. can realistically achieve their goal of stopping the powered-people. Not only do they not have the technology needed to remove their powers – believe it or not, that's probably a lot harder to achieve than one would imagine – but also, removing their powers would leave S.H.I.R.T. with a lot of enemies. Bridget may have been willing to take that risk because she had a lot of support from the supervillain world, but S.H.I.R.T. doesn't have the resources she did and killing the powered people is the only way to guarantee that they're not going to come back after them. That's why killing is the direction Faith and other members of S.H.I.R.T. have decided to go in. I'm glad you like her as a villain though, especially her fighting skills. Yes, she is going to have some things to explain to Miles now. Well, there are normal prisons that they can have the Normo agents sent to – the Bionic Academy as well as the Davenports are associated with the US government, so they should be able to send the Normo criminals through the justice system as if they'd been arrested by any real government organization like the FBI. As for Graham, he's just kind of a jerk in general – just look at how he treated people in "Armed and Dangerous" from the Lab Assistant; he generally talked down to people, and focused solely on doing anything he could to make himself look better to his superiors. That would make anyone who was ranked lower than him to dislike him. Yeah, poor AJ. He's in a really rough position. And the others know that – the only reason Rani thought it was weird was because she had expected a different reaction from him, possible at a different time too. Yes, she and Liam are back together – that'll be fun to write. As for the childbirth, I'm not going to include that scene, but you will see before and after. Scenes like that are tricky to write, and I don't have very much experience with the situation (I don't have any kids and I was 3 when my brother was born), so I'm afraid I won't be putting those scenes in. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Guest: I'm glad you're excited! I am too! I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **MayLeaf2001: I've missed you too. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Yes, it certainly looks like Jessica's confidence in S.H.I.R.T. has been shaken. You're right about Miles – it's definitely going to affect his relationship with Faith. And I don't think you're alone in shipping Jessica and Miles. They would make a pretty good couple. I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scenes. I worked really hard on them to make them realistic, and to make it look pretty difficult for the heroes. They are really lucky they survived that, but S.H.I.R.T.'s going to be better prepared next time, that's for sure. Don't worry, it's the real Liam who said that he loved her. I'm pretty sure I'd have an angry mob of people at my door if it wasn't. I'm glad you enjoyed his and Rani's reunion, as well as Lily and Alivia's, and of course Kieran and Taylor's reappearances. There will not be any other guest stars in the Power of Seven from Lab Rats unfortunately – pushing them into the story now would just complicate things. Bree did have a good plan with getting help from the others. Yes, Miles was also there at the Normo Hospital outside Mighty Med, which Faith did mention in a previous chapter (please don't ask which one, it's gotten to the point where I'm not 100% sure of these things anymore). I'm glad you can kinda see where she's coming from – I was trying to make at least her motives relatable, even if her methods were not. As for Kaz, well, you're going to have to wait and see what happens with hm and Dani. Mini Challa is here! Yes, she does have the worst timing for making her appearance, doesn't she? Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Guest: You do have a point. Riam does have a certain ring to it.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Alivia: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or the Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Rani's POV**

"God, you're terrible at this!" I hissed, pulling away from Kaz. He gave me a look, holding an antiseptic wipe in his hand.

"And you, Nyx, are a terrible patient." He responded, taking my arm back to continue wiping at the burn on it. I scowled, then looked over at the others. Lily, Alivia, and Liam were all on the couch, while Kieran and Taylor took up the two chairs. Dani was looking over Kieran, biting her lip in concentration as she took his blood pressure.

"Don't take it personally, Kaz; she's always cranky when she's tired." Dani called over her shoulder before started to remove the blood pressure cuff from Kieran's arm.

"I'm not tired." I snapped, more annoyed at the truth in her words than the fact that she was teasing me.

"You know, I thought you were a better liar than that." Lily mentioned, giving me a small smirk. I rolled my eyes, to which she responded with a little laugh. "From what I understand, it's been a really long day. There's no shame in not having an unlimited supply of energy."

"I think we could all do for a little break, actually." Alivia chimed in. I gave her a look. "Look, S.H.I.R.T.'s not going anywhere, and we're definitely not going after them until we have the others back here."

"You really think Calla's going to be up to walking us through a mission right after having a baby?" Bree questioned, stepping out of the hyperlift. As soon as we'd gotten back, she'd insisted on checking the penthouse thoroughly.

"Are you kidding me?" Taylor snorted, amused. She leaned back in the chair, one hand tracing the top of Kieran's arm. She smirked. "It's Calla, guys. Ten bucks says she tries to run mission command from the delivery room."

"Is it all clear?" Alivia questioned, looking away from Lily to spare Bree a glance. The speedster nodded, absently reaching to ruffle Glitch's hair as the dog walked past her on his way to the kitchen.

"Yep. There were definitely people down there - they freaking cut through the rock wall - but it's all clear. Carson's missing from lockup though."

"I told you we should have brought him with us." Kaz commented, finally stepping back from me.

"There wasn't enough time to find a way to secure him properly." Alivia reminded him.

"He's got a point though - we could have interrogated him, learned more about S.H.I.R.T. and why they want to kill us." Dani pointed out. Bree shrugged, then held up a pair of weird-looking sunglasses.

"Oh, I did find these in the vault." She stated, gently placing them in Taylor's hands. "Calla made them for Douglas when his vision was impaired."

"Oh, cool." Taylor twisted them in her hands for a moment, getting a feel for them, before slowly sliding them onto her face and adjusting them for comfort. "Awesome. They don't fit the best, but I think they're just like the ones S.H.I.R.T. stole from me."

"I'm sure Calla can make some adjustments when she's feeling up to it." Kieran assured his girlfriend, smiling at her.

"So, how are you guys?" Bree questioned, leaning on the back of the couch and giving Liam, Lily, Kieran, and Taylor all a concerned look.

"We're fine, Bree." Kieran assured her. Dani raised an eyebrow at that. "I mean, we're mostly fine?"

Dani chuckled a little, rolling her eyes. "That's more like it. You're all dehydrated, physically fatigued, and a little malnourished. Nothing that a good meal, some sleep, and a little time won't fix though." She declared, standing up and rubbing her hands together. She glanced at her boyfriend, who was now sitting in the blue circle chair. "You should really let me set that broken rib?"

"No way." Kaz instinctively covered his side with his arm. Dani gave him an exasperated look. "Look, Dee, I love you and all, but you are mean when it comes to resetting bones. It's not normally a gentle procedure, but you manage to make it hurt twice as much as most doctors."

"That's not true." Dani retorted.

"Yes it is." Alivia, Lily, Liam, and I all replied simultaneously. Dani stared at us for a moment, then scowled.

"Next time, I'm leaving you in the bad guy's lair." She told Liam and Lily half-heartedly before grabbing her cell phone and heading upstairs.

"Everyone else is just a little battered and bruised. Though I do agree that we should all get some sleep while we can." Kaz added.

"That does sound amazing." Liam mentioned, brushing his hand over my shoulder. I shrugged.

"Bedroom's upstairs." I replied. He rolled his eyes at my insistence that I didn't need to sleep, but he didn't say anything. He probably wanted to, but before he could, Skylar and Oliver walked in, carrying two large, brown paper bags.

"Anyone hungry?" Skylar questioned, dropping the bags on the coffee table. She started pulling out Chinese take out boxes, handing them out. "AJ, we have dinner."

The kid, who had been sitting in the kitchen for the past forty minutes, looked up at his name, but shrugged at the sight of food before looking back down at his IPad.

"Where's Dee? I got her vegetarian egg rolls and tofu pot stickers." Oliver questioned, pulling out a carton with a green tag on it.

"Well, she's either calling Barry to let him know that we saved Lily and Liam, or she's mad at all of us." I commented. Oliver frowned.

"...Not going to ask." He placed the carton aside and clapped his hands together. "Okay, so I just finished talking with Jaden. Baby's not here yet, but it's definitely on its way. He'll keep us updated through texts." He explained before glancing at Bree. "Noah fell asleep in his arms and he didn't want to wake him, otherwise he'd send the kid home with us."

"I'll check in with them later." Bree decided, smiling in thanks at Oliver.

"I can't believe the baby's here already. It feels like she and Chase came to the Academy just yesterday to tell everyone."

"Yeah?" Bree commented, sitting down. Lily nodded, rubbing her eyes a little.

"It was far too easy to lose track of time down there." She agreed. The rest of us all glanced at each other. "What?"

"We just...we don't want to push, honey," Alivia smiled at her, brushing a strand of hair from Lily's face, "but we do want to know what happened."

"When they took us, you mean?" Liam asked, suddenly become serious again. Skylar nodded.

"If you don't mind." She added. Liam, Kieran, Taylor, and Lily all hesitated, as if trying to figure out where to start.

 **Jaden's POV**

"Yes Mom, I know she's early, but that's not exactly CeeCee's fault now is it?" I said patiently, holding the phone up to my ear with my shoulder while shaking Noah's rattle with the other. My son giggled, trying to grab it.

 _"It just makes it difficult to come out and see her, you know?"_ Mom sighed. I rolled my eyes.

"Mom, there's no rush, really. With everything going on, I don't think it's a good idea to have company anyway." I mentioned, smiling a little when Noah finally got his hand around the rattle.

 _"You're most likely right, but that's not exactly a good environment for a newborn, or Calla. The last thing she needs right is more stress."_ Mom chided. I chuckled, not wanting to point out that our mother visiting would likely only stress my sister out more, not less.

"Believe me, Chase is doing everything he can to make sure she's under no stress." Almost as if I'd called him, Chase came out of Calla's room just then, an annoyed look on his face. "Uh, I gotta go, Mom. I'll call you later with an update. Love you."

After waiting for her to respond, I hung up and looked at Chase. "She kick you out?"

"Oh yeah." He agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She thinks I'm fussing too much."

"How long's she got?" I asked, pocketing my phone. Chase shrugged.

"Contractions are still a few minutes apart, so we've got some time. Any word on the others?" He asked, glancing at me.

"No one's seriously injured, but Dani, Kaz, and Oliver are all prescribing rest. Skylar's worried about AJ, said he's not eating."

"The poor kid." Chase sighed. "Someone should talk to him, make sure he's okay."

"I'm sure someone will." I reassured him. AJ may be closest with Calla and Chase, but everyone on the team genuinely cared for the kid. I watched Chase pace for a moment. "Dude, sit down. You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

"That's a myth." He muttered, still pacing.

"You don't know that." I pointed out. He stopped and gave me a look.

"Jaden, if Bree can pace at superspeed for ten minutes straight without damaging the floor, I'm pretty sure it's impossible." He responded before continuing. I raised an eyebrow and leaned back in my seat.

"You're freaking out." I observed, a tiny bit amused. Chase was usually the cool-headed one on the team, and I had to admit, it was a little...humanizing to see him not 100% calm all the time.

"No I'm not." He grumbled. But then he slowed in his pacing, and sent me a wide-eyed look. "I am not ready for this."

"Hate to break it to you, pal, but nobody ever is." I admitted. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dude, you're going to be fine. I mean, I'm not doing a bad job, and I've read half the parenting manuals that you have."

"Parenting manuals aren't everything, Jaden." He finally stopped and dropped into a seat on the other side of Noah. "I mean, yeah, I've got a game plan and everything, but I'm not ready for this...You know how much actually thought I've given to being a dad these past few months?"

"That's not fair - between kidnapped friends and S.H.I.R.T., we've all been overwhelmed." I mentioned. He shook his head.

"That's not an excuse. And now the baby's coming and this time tomorrow I'm going to have a kid. Can you imagine that - me and Calla with a kid?"

"Honestly? Yeah. I think she'll be amazing." I reassured him. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Besides, she'll have Noah here to big brother her."

Chase smiled a little at that, glancing down at his nephew. "I guess." He agreed reluctantly. He leaned back in the chair. "I just don't get how Calla's so calm about this."

"Nah, she's just better at hiding it." I assured him. He looked at me, a little surprised. "Now she didn't say anything to me, but I know for a fact that she's been going to Bree for advise a lot in the past month."

"Yeah, I had noticed they were hanging out a lot more than they used to." Chase admitted. I chuckled.

"Trust me, she's as freaked as you are. But you guys are going to be just fine - if you two can battle bionic psychopaths and crazy supervillains, I think you can handle a baby."

"I hope you're right." Chase agreed quietly.

"Oh, and by the way, I think I managed to convince Mom not to fly down here immediately to see the baby - didn't think we needed that distraction right now - but you guys are going to need to visit as soon as you get the chance, or we're all dead."

"Crap." Chase muttered. "Thanks, Jay. I totally should have thought to call her and your dad."

"It's fine. They understand." I replied. He pulled out his phone.

"I need to call Adam, Leo, and Mr. Davenport." He realized. No sooner had he hit his contacts button did Calla's voice come from the room.

"Chase!" She shouted. Chase stood up immediately.

"I'll call them." I chuckled. Chase nodded his thanks and ran into the room as I started dialing a number. A second later, despite the fact that it was almost 10 PM, the other line picked up. "Hey Leo, guess whose baby has the worst timing in the world?"

 **Rani's POV**

"Well, everything seemed normal at first." Taylor began, taking Kieran's hand. "We had just finished taking down this supervillain for you guys - the Yodeler, I think his name was?"

"Who came up with that name?" Liam chuckled, amused.

"I think Jordan suggested it to Barry." Dani mentioned, having just come back downstairs. Liam and Lily both paused, glancing at each other, then at Alivia. "Oh, yeah. Cat's out of the bag on that one, guys."

"Yeah, about that - how could you guys seriously not tell me about him telling her?" Alivia questioned, turning to give them both a stern, annoyed look. They exchanged guilty smiles.

"Uh, so, what happened next?" Lily asked instead of answering, giving her girlfriend an apologetic smile. Alivia rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything as Kieran continued the story.

"Yeah, so, just as we were finishing up, Taylor thought she heard something in the woods. I thought we should check it out." Kieran explained. He shrugged. "I knew people hunted in the area a lot, so I figured that an animal got caught in some kind of trap or something."

"Anyway, we'd only been walking for about five minutes when we got jumped." Taylor continued. She frowned. "They were waiting for us, I think, hiding in the trees. If they'd been walking around or chasing us, I think I would have heard them, but I didn't even realize they were there until it was too late."

"Like she said, they jumped us." Kieran continued. "There were about five or six of them-"

"Six, definitely six." Taylor interjected. "Two of them were heavier set, I think, and I'm sure at least one of them was a girl. We tangled when I pulled her to the ground."

"Six of them." Kieran amended. "Two girls, three guys, and one I wasn't too sure about. One of them was definitely that Carson guy you showed us a picture of."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw AJ sit up a little at the sound of his uncle's name.

"They had these weapons..." Taylor trailed off, sounding confused. "They were kinda like the blasters Davenport uses in training, but they felt different somehow."

"The blasts were white and blinding, not like the blue and red plasma we use." Kieran added.

"Yeah, I was attacked with the same weapon." Lily agreed. "They got me when I was coming back from trying to grab Scorcher in Michigan. Three of them, one of them carrying a weapon like that. Actually, you know what it reminded me of?"

"Liam's powers." I didn't even realize it until I spoke. I looked at him. "Yeah, they had one of those when I was fighting there today. It was like one of your light blasts, but way more powerful."

"Huh, that's weird. They didn't use anything like that against me. I just got attacked by five goons coming out of a convenience store on my way back from a mission."

"Does anyone else notice that they kept grabbing us after missions?" Dani spoke up. "I mean, they tried to get Tempest like that too, right after he dealt with Blue Demon."

"It wouldn't surprise me if S.H.I.R.T. had been tracking villains too." Skylar mentioned. "They probably realized what was going on and decided to take us afterwards since they knew that we'd be easier to take when we were tired and possibly injured."

"Why were they taking us though? I don't understand - they're government agents." Lily commented, confused.

"Actually, they're more like a private organization, working like a government organization." Oliver mentioned, shrugging. "I had Jordan look into it - they're kind a like an illegal militia, but they run more like an espionage agency than an army."

"Fun." I commented sarcastically.

"As for the why, from what we can gather, they think people like us are dangerous and need to be stopped before we hurt innocent people. And since they either don't know how to or don't care to remove our powers, they've chosen to just kill all of us." Skylar explained, annoyed.

"That's insane." Taylor insisted.

"Tell me about it." Dani agreed, sitting down on the ground in front of the couch and crisscrossing her legs. "I mean, Jessica Henderson, Miles DeCook, Faith Parker? Why in the world would they get on board for this?"

"Faith was at Mighty Med. She saw everything that Roddiseus and his kids did." Oliver explained, shaking his head. He sighed. "They were heroes. It wasn't hardened criminals doing that, it was people that we trusted, people who were supposed to protect the innocent. I guess she just figured that if the people we were supposed to be able to rely on were capable of doing all that damage, then no one could be trusted with that kind of abilities."

"She was at Mighty Med?" Dani looked surprised at the news.

"Well, she was at the Normo hospital protecting Mighty Med." Oliver clarified. Alivia looked at Bree.

"Did Calla or Jaden know about this?" She asked sharply. Bree shrugged.

"They knew that she was volunteering to help with the clean up after a hospital attack. They figured it was Mighty Med, but none of us knew that she was there during the attack." She explained. "The clean up there took months though, and they were surprised that she was helping out the entire time. I mean, she missed Chase and Calla's wedding in order to help transfer files and important documents for the hospital." Kaz looked up at those words, confused.

"Faith was at the wedding." He said, frowning at Bree.

"No, she wasn't." Dani replied. He nodded. "No, Kaz, she wasn't."

"Yeah, I'm sure she...oh." Kaz stopped, a look of realization coming over him.

"Oh what?" I demanded. He shook his head, pursing his lips.

"It's nothing." He insisted.

"Kaz…" Alivia warned. He glanced at her, apologetic. "Wait, tell me it's not...seriously?" Her tone turned exasperated. "Seriously?"

"Okay, this is not my fault." Kaz insisted. Alivia crossed her arms, looking at him sternly. "How could it possibly be related, Liv? There's no way!"

"No way what?" I demanded, looking between the two of them. They were still staring at each other, daring the other to break first. "Guys!"

Eventually, Kaz sighed. "This doesn't make sense." He muttered. He looked at us. "So, Faith was at the wedding, originally."

"Originally?" Lily frowned, looking at the redhead.

"Hotshot here used time travel to go back to the day Mighty Med was destroyed." Alivia explained.

"Kaz." Skylar gasped, staring at him. "What were you thinking?"

Kaz hesitated. "It seemed like a good idea at the time?" He said instead of giving her a straight answer.

"Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could have done to our timeline?" Dani demanded, equally shocked.

"Hey! You know what? I did more good than bad." Kaz argued. He looked at us, a serious expression on his face. "I checked the numbers - twenty-three people who originally died in that massacre are alive right now. I consider that a win."

"Wait, you three didn't know about this?" Liam questioned, taking in Dani, Oliver, and Skylar's shocked expressions.

"I'm the only who knew, and I found out after the fact." Alivia explained.

"Not quite. Calla knows too." Kaz chimed in, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably.

"Let me guess - you pressed the 'do not touch' button on her time machine and she had it rigged to a camera or something?" Bree guessed, sighing. Kaz shrugged.

"What can I say? She knows how my mind operates." He admitted.

"Wait, how would that affect whether or not Faith was there?" Skylar questioned.

"Oh, she was probably there the whole time, but it's possible that without Kaz's interference, she wasn't aware of the superhuman aspect to the attack. Most of the world believes it was a terrorist attack, right?" Dani questioned.

"Yeah, I think so." Oliver nodded in confirmation.

"So that turned Faith against us." Alivia sighed, giving Kaz one last look before continuing. "It's hard to say about the others, why they're doing it."

"They're doing it because they're crazy." Kieran insisted. "Every single one of them. Especially that Director Bosetti." At those words, AJ finally reacted, climbing out of his seat to head outside onto the veranda. "What did I say?"

"It's not your fault." Skylar assured him, starting to get up. "I'll go talk to him."

"Actually, let me get this." Oliver told her, patting her knee before getting up and heading out onto the veranda.

"Oh, by the way, Barry, Alan, and the others all want to hear from you two." Dani quickly changed the topic, pulling out her phone and holding it out to Liam and Lily. "They want to make sure you guys are okay themselves."

"Yeah, I'd be pretty worried if I were in their shoes." Lily agreed, taking the cell phone. She kissed Alivia on the cheek and stood up. "I'll be right back."

We all started to disperse then, with most of us heading into the kitchen for food. Bree went to call Jaden and check in on Calla, while Kaz and Alivia went into the hall to talk (somebody was in trouble, I could tell).

"Hey," I felt Liam's hand on my arm. I looked up and gave him a thin smile. "Can we talk?"

 **Oliver's POV**

I found AJ sitting on top of the barrier on the veranda, one leg crossed on top while the other hanging down on the inside, preventing him from falling accidently. The kid wasn't doing anything - normally, you couldn't tear his IPad or cellphone out of his hands - except watching the city below. "You okay?" I asked, approaching him. He shrugged.

"I didn't know what was going on." He mumbled, not looking up. I nodded thoughtfully, leaning up against the barrier next to him.

"We know that. You're not the type to get caught up in all of that." I assured him. He nodded but didn't say anything. "Look, Kieran didn't know about your family - he didn't mean to call them crazy."

"But they are, aren't they?" AJ looked up at me, eyes wide with desperation. "I mean, he's right - no one sane would do something like that."

"It's not that they're crazy, kid, they just...they see things differently than we do, and they're just willing to do things we don't agree with to make sure they achieve their goal.:" Okay, that sounded fake even to my ears. AJ gave me a look.

"You don't believe that." He pointed out. I sighed.

"Okay, you're right. What they're doing doesn't make sense. But just because it doesn't make sense to us, doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to them." I told him. He frowned, confused. "My mom first became a villain because she was trying to protect Dani and I from a different villain. That sounds a little hypocritical to us, but to her, it was the only option she could think of." I explained. "So maybe your Mom has a really good reason for getting involved in this."

"I don't agree." AJ retorted. He shook his head. "She's not evil though. I don't think she likes what Grandpa's doing. I know she regrets..." He trailed off and bit his lip, as if he were about to say something he shouldn't have.

"Regrets what, AJ?" I inquired. He didn't answer. "AJ, we can't help you or her if we don't know what's going on."

He breathed a long, drawn out sigh. "She screwed up, Oliver. She really screwed up."

"How so?" I asked patiently. He glanced at me.

"Look, I should have told you before...she knows magic, Oliver." While I hadn't been expecting that answer, it didn't entirely surprise me either. Between Sienna's deep interest in Rani and her abilities and a few other things that didn't quite make sense around here, it made sense that she too was an expert in the dark arts.

"Black magic, like Rani?" I confirmed. He nodded. I stopped for a moment, remembering a conversation from earlier today, though after the day it had been, it felt like it had been weeks ago. "AJ, did your Mom bring Carson back from the dead?"

He looked up, surprised that I'd made that leap. "Yeah, how...?"

"Dee was so sure that he was dead, and then Rani interrogated him, he kept saying that he was alive because of magic. We thought he was being sarcastic, but..."

"Nope. He was completely serious." AJ confirmed. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "She brought Grandpa back too. He died when she was a teenager."

"She brought two people back from the dead using magic?" I confirmed. He nodded.

"She and Uncle Carson, they were always really close. Like how you and Dani are, and when he died..." He shrugged. "She was really upset and quiet for a while. She brought us back to Philadelphia because it's where she grew up before her dad died, and after a few months, she pulled a bunch of spellbooks out of this old chest she would never let me touch."

"And then she brought them back." I finished. He nodded. "Where in the world did your Mom learn to do magic like that? Rani only knows of those spells in theory, and she studied magic for nearly five years at a villainous university."

"Grandpa taught her and Uncle Carson when they were kids." He explained. I frowned, but he continued before I could ask my next questioned. "He learned magic on the job."

"What job?" I questioned, confused. "Your grandfather's a Normo, right?"

"Oh, no. He's not." AJ chuckled darkly at all this. "That's why they wanted me to keep things a secret. They didn't want me telling you guys that he used to work for the League of Heroes."

I stared at him. "Your grandfather used to work for the League of Heroes?" I demanded, floored. AJ nodded.

"Yeah. He doesn't have any of his comics - Mom says they didn't make any on the less popular heroes back then - but apparently, he was a superhero."

"Great." The last thing we needed was another Roddiseus situation. AJ nodded. "Then why does he want to eliminate all other heroes?"

"Well, I was told not to say anything about his powers because he was retired and didn't want to bring his old enemies coming for us, kinda like how Horace doesn't tell many people that he's Caduceo." AJ said slowly. He looked at his hands. "Now I think that maybe he just didn't want the rest of S.H.I.R.T. to know about his powers so that once everyone else with powers are dead, he and Uncle Carson will be the only ones with abilities."

"And then they'll go for world domination." It wasn't hard to guess what their endgame was if that was their first goal. AJ nodded in agreement. "You know, just once I'd like to fight a villain who only wants a little respect and a churro. You know, that way if we lose, the world's not going to end."

AJ smiled a little at that. "Well, whatever it is they're planning, they've been planning it for a while. Grandpa started working on setting up S.H.I.R.T. only a couple of days after he came back." He explained.

"Then I hate to say it, AJ, but when your grandfather died the first time, he wasn't a hero. Something must have happened to turn him away from the League, otherwise he wouldn't have been so prepared to get revenge when he came back."

"I guess." AJ shrugged. He was quiet for a minute, before adding, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay, kid. You didn't know what was happening, and you were just trying to be loyal to your family." I assured him, patting his shoulder. He nodded, kicking his leg a little.

"What's going to happen now?" He asked, his voice shrinking with worry. He looked up at me, biting his lip. "To me? And - and to my mom?"

I hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I don't know." I eventually admitted. He nodded, his breathing hitching a little. "I don't know, AJ, but you'll be okay, alright? The entire team has your back, and we don't let each other down. I swear."

AJ didn't say anything, but nodded to show that he heard me. Realizing that there wasn't much more I could say, and that he probably wanted to be alone for a while, I started to head inside. I paused at the door. "AJ?"

"Yeah?" He responded, looking up.

"What was your grandfather's superhero codename?" I asked gently. "He may not have comics, but it's possible that we have some files left on him. At the very least, Horace should remember him."

"Um...Mom said it once. I think it was Argento?" AJ replied. I stared at him, recognizing the name instantly. "Yeah, it was Argento."

 **Rani's POV**

"Yeah, what?" I questioned as Liam pulled me into the corner of the room.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay." He told me, looking at me in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My magic speeds up my healing, you know that." I reminded him, rolling my eyes. He crossed his arms.

"Not what I meant, and you know it." He told me sternly. I rolled my eyes. "You're exhausted and everyone knows it. Why won't you go get some rest?"

"Because I'm fine." I insisted. He frowned.

"Is it...nightmares again?" He asked, not unkindly. "I'm sure if you just talk to Horace, or at least Dani, they can give you something to help you sleep."

"No, it's not...I'm sleeping fine, okay? I just..." I really couldn't explain it myself. "Do you ever get that feeling that you're not really awake, that you're really just dreaming and the moment you try to go to sleep, then you're going to wake up in reality?"

"You're worried that this is all a crazy dream." He realized.

"Do you blame me? In the last twenty-four hours...twenty-five hours, sorry," I corrected myself, "I've dealt with a fake you, got stuck in a time loop, and broke into a secret fake-government agency building."

"Yeah, that's fair. Our lives are weird." He deadpanned. "But it is real, Shadows. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. This isn't a dream."

A part of me had already known that, but I guess hearing someone say it out loud made it more real to me. I nodded, feeling myself relax a little. "Did you really what you said earlier?"

"That you're crazy? Absolutely. But it's a total turn on, I promise." He joked. I elbowed him in the ribs, giving him a look.

"Do you have any ability to be serious?" I questioned, exasperated. He smirked.

"A little laughter is good for the soul, my little witch." He told me. I raised an eyebrow and his smirk transformed into a genuine smile. "Yes, I did fall in love with one crazy, shadow-bending witch named Rani Shore."

I licked my lips. "Good. Just wanted to make sure." I leaned forward, kissing him. I felt his hand trail down my side until he was holding my lower back, pulling me closer. I pulled my head back though, just enough that I could whisper in his ears. "Now, why don't we go find that bed you were talking about?"

 **Jaden's POV**

"Hey. Oh my God." Bree burst into the hospital room first. She smiled brightly at the sight of Calla and Chase - the former lying in bed with a tiny little bundle wrapped in a yellow blanket in her arms while the latter had yet to take his eyes off the baby's sleeping face.

He did, however, glance up as Bree, Dani, Kaz, Kieran, and Taylor all filed into the room, one by one. "And this is why we got the biggest room in the hospital." I joked to Oliver as I took the hospital bag he must have grabbed at the house from him.

"She's beautiful, guys." Kieran told them, sitting down on the edge of Calla's bed to get a better look at the baby. I had to admit, I did have one adorable niece. She was fast asleep in Calla's arms, looking so small and precious in that yellow blanket and dark blue hat.

"So, how is Hot Dog Davenport doing?" Kaz grinned, apparently still hoping that they'd gone with his name suggestion.

"Emily Davenport is doing just fine, Kaz." Chase corrected, the look he gave him failing to appear stern due to the smile on his face.

"Hey, that was Skylar's suggestion." Dani smirked, remembering. She looked at us. "It's the second most popular girl's name on Caldera."

"Don't ask her what the most popular girl's name is, you won't be able to pronounce it." Kaz warned, smiling as he leaned in for a closer look at the baby.

"She's cute." Dani observed, also coming in close. She stopped suddenly, then reached for her backpack. "Oh, yeah. I picked this up for her a couple of weeks ago."

From her backpack she pulled out a stuffed animal in the shape of a unicorn. It was purple in color, aside from the pink mane and horn, and was about the size of a basketball. "Oh, Dani, she'll love it." Calla cooed as he placed the stuffed animal next to her. "Thank you."

"Where is everyone else?" Chase asked, realizing that it was just them.

"Ollie and the others decided to stay back, so they wouldn't crowd you." Taylor explained.

 **Oliver's POV**

"So, Argento's back." Alivia commented as I set a tray of hot chocolates down on the coffee table. Lily untangled her hands from Alivia's to grab a couple of mugs for the two of them, flashing me a grateful smile. "What are the odds that AJ is the grandson of the original Mr. Terror?"

"Honestly, with our luck, we should have expected this." Skylar commented, accepting a mug from me. It was just Lily, Alivia, Skylar, and I around the living room discussing this. AJ was still out on the veranda – I still had no idea how to explain to him that his mother lied about Bosetti being a 'hero' – while Liam and Rani had disappeared upstairs just before the others left for the hospital.

"Well, do you know how she defeated him?" Lily inquired. "Maybe we can do something similar."

"Maybe, but he's not the only issue. According to AJ, Carson's got powers too, and Sienna has magic. Then we've got the rest of the agents to deal with, including Graham, Miles, Jessica, and Faith." I pointed out. "We're outnumbered and outgunned."

"And what about this artifact that they're looking for?" Skylar added, frowning. "How does that fit into their plans?"

" _I hate to interrupt, but Mister Jaden ordered me to inform you of any possible intruders."_ MISS spoke up suddenly. We all stood up instantly.

"What's going on MISS?" Alivia demanded.

"Two people just stepped onto the elevator and hit the button for the 110th floor." MISS declared. We all exchanged looks – there were only two apartments on this floor. One belonged to us, and the other Perry, but with her out of town on a family reunion, there was only one place they could be going.

"What the hell is going on?" Rani and Liam came running down the stairs, hair askew and messy.

"Rani, use your shadows to incapacitate the intruders. Everyone else, be ready to strike." Alivia ordered. She glanced over her shoulder at AJ, who'd come in when he heard MISS' warning. "AJ, stay back there until we know it's safe."

Lily stepped close to the door, then waited. "MISS, let us know when they reach the door." Skylar whispered. MISS didn't respond, not at first, but after a moment, she announced that they were approaching the door. Lily waited a moment, then, using her telekinesis, flung the door open. Rani raised her hand before we could even identify the people and wrapped her shadows around them like chains.

"Whoa!" Miles shouted, surprised. He and Jessica squirmed in their bindings, caught off guard by the attack.

"Guys!" Jessica cried, eyes wide.

"What do you want?" Liam demanded, stepping closer to them, hand half raised in preparation for an attack.

"To talk!" Miles insisted. He took a breath, then continued in a calmer voice. "We're unarmed, and S.H.I.R.T. does not know we're here. We just want to talk."

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you think? Not the most actiony chapter, but I think that little Argento twist may have made up for that. I've actually been planning on introducing him into the story since before I finished the Days of Our Lives, so I think it's safe to say that I was excited to pull that one out. Anyway, guys, I want to know what you thought of the chapter!**

 **Anyway, slight change to the schedule (sorry, new job, I'm still getting used to the shifts), but this is the last edit to the schedule, I swear:**

 **October 1** **st** **: No Turning Back**

 **October 8** **th** **: Heroes**

 **October 15th: The End of an Era**

 **And yes, before anyone asks, The End of an Era will be the final chapter of the story. Can you believe that we're almost done? I certainly can't. Anyway guys, I'll see you the beginning of October! Until then, don't forget to review!**


	50. Endgame

**Kihonne: Alright folks, it's time for End Game. It's going to be an awesome chapter, as it is the first part of the last two-part chapter of the story. But before we can move onto that, it's time for shoutouts!**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: I think a lot of people are pretty shocked right now, especially by the Argento twist. It is definitely going to be a sad day once the final chapter is posted – it may not be the last in the series, but it is certainly the end of most of the characters' stories. Thanks so much! And yes, Emily is here! While I'm sad that the original team's story is ending, I have to admit, I'm excited to start hers. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Algernon23: Lol, he really did screw up, didn't he? I mean, somethings may have worked out – the fact that Jaime was able to save so many people – but it certainly did have its drawbacks. Wow, crazy coincidence with the timing of things, isn't it? And yeah, time does play tricks on you, especially when you're working on a story that's got a timeline that's not exactly lined up with ours. I had to write down the timeline by hand just to be able to keep track of when things happened. LOL, Emily's middle name is not Hot Dog. Her full name is actual Emily Bree Davenport, since you're curious. It's definitely going to be a crazy couple of chapters, that's for sure. I do say, I love how much you trust that I won't kill anyone. Clearly, you haven't read one of my older stories, Maybank's Revenge. Oh, and by the way, that tofu thing was not actually a typo. They were tofu pot stickers, not tofu pops (pot stickers are a type of Chinese dumpling, in case you didn't know). Thanks so much for the compliments, and I really hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Astronema2345: I'm afraid at this moment, I'm not accepting story requests due to my writing schedule being filled up with Legacies and a couple of other writing projects. Maybe try again in a few months when I might be less busy? Also, if you do, could you be more specific? I personally think I've exhausted any creativity I have for Oliver and Bridget, but if there's something you'd like to specifically see (angst, a reunion, etc.), that would be helpful to know.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Guest: I'm so glad you're excited. I can't believe it either – it feels like I've been working with these characters for all my life. No, it's not the end – I technically have two more stories on the go. Details on the End of an Era will be announced when I post the final chapter, and the other one is Legacies, the story you mentioned about the children of the Elite Force. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Guest: It is definitely going to catch Bridget off guard, that's for sure. Enjoy!**

 **Foreverlondon66: Enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: I'm glad you enjoyed it. You're going to have to keep reading to find out about their powers though. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I can't believe it either – It feels like just this morning I was drafting the ideas for this chapter. I was nearly crying when I wrote the outline for the remaining chapters. I'm glad you're pro Jess/Miles – they've definitely got some chemistry, don't they? I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens to them, and the others. Poor Rani, she really had a rough day that day, didn't she? The only reason she was still stubborn was because she's incredibly stubborn. And yeah, I figured it would make sense that they'd be afraid of being parents – it's a completely different set of responsibilities than they're used to. Bree and Jaden may have been able to handle things with grace, but being older siblings, they've always had a little bit of an idea what its like to take care of someone younger than them. Calla and Chase, on the other hand, have only ever had the responsibilities of leading the team and handling the technical side to things, so it's such a different role than anything they've ever had to be. Yeah, Kaz screwed up. It's impossible for him to know what would have happened if he'd never interfered, but there is some guilt there for him. AJ…I actually feel bad for what I did to the kid. He's in a lose-lose situation, that's for sure. I'm so glad you liked the Riam scene too. Unfortunately, you're right – most of the current cast will pretty much be done in these stories after the Power of Seven. There will be a couple of exceptions to that, based on the plots I have in mind for the first 'season' of Legacies, but not many. As for the kids, I don't want to say anything yet. I do want to have a scene where the children of the NLH's heroes all appear, but I can't make any promises until it's actually written out and placed somewhere in the story. I'm glad the Argento twist caught you by surprise – it did most people. You know, I honestly suspect that if Mighty Med had continued, he would have been made a part of that series. It always struck me as odd that they'd give him a secondary name, aside from Mr. Terror, if they were never going to use him. You have no idea how hard it was not to spoil that twist though – I had to be really careful about dropping foreshadowing hints at the same time as keeping you in the dark, and you guys are really freaking smart, which made it even harder to try and trick you. The team does have a decision to make on whether or not to trust them, don't they? I guess you'll have to read on to see what they decide. Anyway, thanks so much, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Xxx**

 **Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Alivia: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all of the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Oliver's POV**

"And why should we believe you?" Rani questioned, slowly moving to the side as she maintained her shadows' grips on Jessica and Miles. Hair askew, barefoot, and in PJs, you wouldn't think her much of a threat, but she looked downright deadly.

"We're here to help." Jessica tried again. Rani scowled and tightened the shadows.

"That didn't answer her question." Liam stated coolly, eying them warily. "You helped kidnap us. Why in the world would we give you the time of day?"

"Because we also helped you escape?" Miles attempted. I frowned, not understanding what he meant, but judging by the looks Rani, Lily, and Liam exchanged, there was more to comment than meets-the-eye.

"What are you talking about?" Alivia questioned, glancing at Lily before looking back at the S.H.I.R.T. agents.

"You encountered almost no resistance getting out of there, didn't you? You didn't think that was a coincidence, did you?" Miles challenged. I bit my lip, pushing down the nagging feeling in my stomach. While getting into the base had been nearly impossible, getting out had been easy. Easy enough to make every Chase, AJ, and I paranoid every step of the way, up until we reached the hospital. "As soon as I realized what was going on, I started directing my agents elsewhere. I tried to get as many of them out of your way as possible without looking suspicious."

"I know you saw me as you were trying to get out." Jessica added, addressing Rani, Liam, and Lily. "The three of you, plus Bree, Kieran, and Taylor all almost ran into my tactical team. You would have been caught if we hadn't turned around."

"Is what she's saying true?" Skylar questioned, glancing at them. Rani frowned, a look of hesitancy coming over her face.

"I...I'd thought you'd seen us." She mumbled.

"Why did you let us go, then? You're agents of S.H.I.R.T., you work for Argento. Why change sides?" Alivia demanded, ignoring her friend's hesitation.

"Who's Argento?" Miles questioned, confused. Alivia frowned at his response.

"Bosetti." Jessica glanced at Miles before turning back to us. "We were manipulated, okay? They didn't tell us everything."

"You're telling me that you didn't know that he was kidnapping heroes?" Lily scoffed, ticked off.

"I mean, I did, but I..." Jessica sighed. "Look, this would all be a lot easier if you gave us an actual chance to explain. Hate us if you want, and no one's going to force you to accept our help, but what's the harm in hearing us out?"

Rani glanced at Skylar and Alivia, expecting one of them to tell her what to do. "One wrong move, and we'll blast both of you. Understood?" Skylar said slowly, raising her hand to create a plasma ball, just to prove her point.

"That seems fair." Miles agreed, not the slightest bit of sarcasm in his voice. Jessica nodded too. Alivia sighed and cocked her head at Rani, who obediently released Jessica and Miles. They stepped back from us, rubbing their arms where Rani's shadows had been cutting off the circulation.

"Sit." I ordered, pointing at the couch. We all watched them carefully as they made their way to the couch and sat down. They were careful to move slowly, keeping their hands in sight so as to not give us an excuse to fire at them. "Okay, talk."

"You asked if we didn't know about the kidnappings. Jess and Faith may have, but I didn't." Miles told us. Many of us rolled our eyes at his excuse, not dumb enough to believe it. "It's true, I've known about all of this for about..." He glanced past me at the clock on the wall. "For less than 12 hours now."

"You expect us to believe that?" Liam challenged.

"It's true." AJ spoke up. I glanced back at him and he continued. "Mom and Grand...Argento acted as if he was never a part of it to begin with. How'd you find out?" He directed the last part to Miles, but Jessica answered instead.

"I told him." She admitted. Miles nodded his agreement, attempting to assure us that she wasn't lying to save her own ass. "This wasn't what I signed up for."

"What did you sign up for?" Skylar questioned, sitting down in one of the seats. She raised an eyebrow at her. "You're working for a criminal, so I'm curious where you drew the line."

"I didn't know he was a criminal. Hell, I didn't know what he was. When Graham and I signed up, we were told that we'd be stopping people like you from hurting innocent people."

"People like us." Lily repeated, her tone cold. Jessica nodded.

"I know this isn't going to win me any more brownie points, but people with your abilities are dangerous. You say you're on the right side, and I want to believe you, but from what I'm told, Roddiseus and his children were 'heroes' too before they wiped out two hospitals."

"So, your solution to a few crazies going on a rampage is to kill the rest of us?" Liam demanded, ticked off. Jessica shook her head quickly.

"I wasn't told they'd be killing people. I didn't sign up for a genocide - you'd have to be out of your mind to do that. But I do agree with locking people like you up if you go against the law, and let's face it, most of you have at one point or another." She explained. Rani opened her mouth to object, but Jessica quickly continued. "You had your reasons, and they were good ones, I know. But if people can just go around breaking the law like that, without any consequences, bad things tend to happen."

"So, what? We should be locked up because of our powers?" I questioned. "I hate to break it to you, Jess, but that's kidnapping. Not to mention, most of us didn't choose to have powers."

"I know. There's no perfect solution to this. If these were weapons, we'd make you register for licenses, but you can't make someone get a license just to live." She explained. She looked at us imploringly. "I was just trying to help people. I didn't think things would turn out like this, or go this far."

"So, you're just willing to work with the people you were trying to lock up? Just like that?" Rani questioned. She gave Jessica a look. "I've been in your position, Blondie. You don't just switch sides because you're 'sorry'. You want something. What is it?"

"A second chance." Jessica replied. Rani scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No, hear me out. I still think there has to be rules in place for people like you. Something that can make regular people feel safe, but something that will also allow you guys to do your jobs and do them safely."

"What do you propose?" Alivia questioned, intrigued by the way Jessica was phrasing it.

"Assuming that you accept our help, we arrange a sort of...coalition. We get representatives from each group - Normos, bionics, superheroes, and aliens - and we figure out a set of rules and laws that work for everyone. That way, they'll work in favor of the majority, and no species will be screwed over by them."

The rest of us paused, considering Jessica's proposition. Admittedly, it wasn't a bad one, assuming we could trust her. But that was a big assumption.

"And what about Faith?" Lily questioned, looking at Miles. When he didn't answered, she pushed him. "Well? Where does she fit into this?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "But she lied to me, and worse, she's involved in something like this. I don't know what she's thinking, or how she kept this from me, but I swear, I'm not on board for anything that she's planning. As far as I'm concerned, we're through."

I glanced at the others, wondering what they were thinking, and what they were going to decide.

 **Xxx**

 _"And we're just supposed to trust them?"_ Bree questioned, pacing in front of the screen. Because it was impossible to make such a decision without the rest of the team, I'd texted my sister and had her set up a video conference in Mighty Med 2.0.'s rec room.

"That's what they want, yeah." Skylar confirmed, sitting down on top of the cyberdesk. Lily sighed.

"They make a compelling argument." She stated. Alivia turned to look at her, disagreement all over her face.

"Miles, maybe, but Jessica? Are you kidding me?" She retorted. "She knew where you were the entire time, and she didn't help you. How can you want to work with her?"

"Because she's not the only person in the world to make a mistake." The psychic reasoned. "And we're could use them."

 _"How?"_ Kieran inquired, confused. Jaden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 _"Because S.H.I.R.T. still trusts them. If they're telling the truth, they could get us inside for another raid, this time with more firepower and more time to prepare."_ He explained.

 _"But that's a huge risk."_ Calla reminded us. She pushed her wheelchair forward a little, making sure that she could be seen. Little Emily was fast asleep in her arms, her face resting in the crook of Calla's elbow. _"I mean, can we trust them? After everything they've put us all through?"_

"Calla's got a point." Skylar agreed.

 _"Okay, what do we know for sure? Let's figure that out first."_ Chase decided, crossing his arms.

"Miles didn't know what was going on." AJ spoke up. Rani nodded.

"And Jessica did let us go - I'm certain of it." She added, pacing behind the cyberdesk.

" _Do we really have a choice? This is Argento we're talking about, people."_ Dani shuddered at his very name. _"My mom told me about him - he's cruel and powerful and as dangerous as they come."_

"How'd your mom beat him?" Liam questioned, glancing at me, then Dani.

 _"She caught him by surprise. He didn't think that some Normo woman would stand up to him like that, let alone have the resources to kill him."_ Dani explained. She scowled. _"But she said it took a lot to do so, and that was just him. We didn't have to worry about Faith, or Graham, or Carson or..."_ She trailed off.

"Or my mom." AJ finished sadly.

 _"They have a point. S.H.I.R.T. does have the advantage here."_ Kaz declared.

 _"But we have the numbers."_ Taylor insisted.

 _"Alright, there's only one way to do this."_ Chase decided. He looked around at everyone in the rec room, then back at the camera. _"We vote. Majority wins."_

"All in favor of working with Miles?" Alivia questioned. Slowly but surely, almost every hand was raised, with the exception of Skylar, Taylor, Jaden, and Chase.

 _"I just can't trust someone I don't know."_ Taylor said by way of explanation. Rani nodded.

"And all in favor of working with Jessica?" She asked. This time, it was Alivia, Skylar, Kaz, Chase, and Calla who voted against the idea. But it didn't matter - they were outnumbered.

"I suppose we should go tell them the news." I sighed.

 **Xxx**

"This better not be a mistake." Alivia warned, opening up the cell door. Admittedly, the fact that Jessica and Miles had agreed to being locked up while we made our decision was a show of good faith, but I knew for some of us, it wouldn't be enough.

"You're going to let us help you?" Jessica seemed surprised by the prospect.

"We voted and agreed on it. But I warn you - it wasn't a unanimous vote." Skylar replied coolly. She very clearly did not trust them, but in my opinion, we didn't have another choice if we were going to stop Argento.

"That's fine. We'll just have to earn your trust." Miles replied, determined yet serious.

"You can start by telling us about this artifact that they're searching for." Rani commented, turning to face them. She crossed her arms. "What is it and why do they want it?"

"It's a power source. Faith told me that Bosetti...I mean, Argento, wanted to use it to power our base off the grid, but I'm guessing that's not his end game." Miles explained. Jessica smirked.

"Oh, believe me, it's not." She looked at us, crossing her own arms. "He's dying."

"What?" I questioned, not having expected her to say that. She nodded.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," she said to Rani, as she began to walk around the room, "but bringing someone back from the dead requires an immense amount of power and magic, otherwise it doesn't work correctly, right?" Rani nodded silently. "Well, Sienna may know what she's doing, but she's not the most powerful witch out there. The spell brought them back, but she can't keep them on this world forever. Without another power source, they're going to die, sooner rather than later."

"And they think they can use this artifact to keep them alive?" Liam asked, eying them in disbelief. He looked back at his girlfriend. "Is that even possible?"

"Absolutely. Witches and warlocks have been using alien artifacts and ancient relics for centuries to power their spells. Grimoires, enchanted items, even alien technology like the Arcturion would all work to do something like that." She confirmed. She looked at Jess. "That's why you guys stole the Grimoire of Enodia."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Jessica mentioned, rubbing her neck with an apologetic half-smile on her face. "Anyway, they've been looking for something like this for a while now. It's why Faith was investigating Liam, Lily, Kieran, and Taylor's abilities - they were hoping to use them instead of a nearly impossible to find artifact. That was a dead end, but they're closing in on the artifact, and if they get it, not only will it bring Argento and Carson back to life, it'll also boost their powers, along with Sienna's magic."

"So, in other words, we need to stop them before they get it." Alivia nodded. "Any idea how long that will be?"

"Faith's preparing another excursion as we speak, but she has to run it by me first so I can get a tactical team. I can probably give you guys an hour heads up before they go for it, but no more than that."

"That's fine. We can work with that." Alivia assured him. Miles nodded. "Now, I need you to tell us everything about Faith, Argento, Graham, Sienna, and Carson."

 **Dani's POV**

"Look who's home." I smiled as Calla and Chase walked into the penthouse, the latter carrying Emily in one arm and Calla's overnight bag in the other. It had been a couple of days since we'd made the deal with Jessica and Miles, and the baby's presence in the penthouse was a welcome distraction from the upcoming violence.

"Hey." Calla hugged me gently before sitting down on the couch. Chase carefully placed Emily in her arms before kissing her on the forehead and heading upstairs to put their things away.

"Hey, Noah." Bree, who'd been sitting on the ground with her son, lifted the kid to his feet and turned him to face Calla and Emily. "Say hello to your cousin, bug."

Noah responded by laughing and grabbing at Emily's tiny hand. "Gentle, Noah." Calla admonished gently, smiling at his obvious pleasure at Emily's presence. "You going to be like a big brother to Em, huh?"

"Oh yeah, he's totally going to big brother her, aren't you buddy?" Jaden chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of them. For a moment, they were just some normal, happy family. But only for a moment.

Jessica walked in just then, and everyone suddenly went on edge. "We have forty-six minutes until Miles has to approve Faith's request to go on a mission to find the artifact. Past that, he either gives himself away by refusing, or he gives her a tactical team."

"We don't want either of that." Chase replied, coming down the stairs. He looked over at the veranda, where most of the others were all hanging out, and waved to get their attention. After motioning for them to come in, he continued. "Alright, this is our window to go after Argento. It's not going to be easy, but we have them outnumbered. They may be more powerful, but we can't forget the advantages we do have, alright? We leave in ten minutes."

"Suit up, get your gear, and make sure you're prepared." Alivia added, looking at us. "Chase is right that this won't be an easy fight, so don't make it any harder for us by not being as prepared as you can be."

The others all nodded and began to disperse, some going upstairs for their uniforms, while others headed down to Mission Command for their equipment.

"I hate leaving you home alone with just Noah and Emily." Chase murmured. Calla gave him a smile and shook her head.

"I'm not alone - where's AJ?" She questioned.

"Your room." Skylar mentioned as she headed for the stairs. "He needed a place to crash."

"Well, wake him up. Tell him I'm going to need my favorite assistant." She instructed. Skylar smiled a little bit, and nodded.

"Why do you need an assistant?" Kaz inquired, confused.

"Because there's no way in hell I'm letting you guys go in alone. If I have to run Mission Command from this couch while watching the kids, I will." She declared. She looked at us. "Now, go. And be safe."

"I will." Chase promised her, leaning down to kiss her. She let her lips graze against his for a moment after pulling away.

"Come back home to us, you got it?" She questioned.

"I promise." He assured her before kissing her again, then pressing his lips to Emily's forehead. Giving them both one last smile, he turned and headed for Mission Command.

"Calla, he'll be fine. I promise." Jessica reassured her. The genius gave her a cold look. "I do owe you an apology, I think."

"Look, it's this simple: I don't trust you. You betrayed us, and while I'm okay with working with Miles, I didn't vote in your favor." Calla said bluntly. Kaz and I exchanged awkward looks.

"I am sorry." Jessica apologized. "For everything."

"You think an apology fixes things?" Calla questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"No, it doesn't and it shouldn't. But I just want you to understand that I wasn't trying to hurt you." Jessica insisted. Calla raised her head, eyes softening just a little.

"Stop Argento. You want my forgiveness and my trust back? Do what you said and stop him." Calla told her.

"I intend to." Jessica responded. Calla nodded.

"Good." She replied coolly. I cleared my throat, trying to draw the two of them away from this super awkward conversation.

"What about the NLH? They might be able to help." I suggested.

"There's no way they'll get here in time." Calla shook her head. "I'm going to call Jordan after you guys leave and let her know what's going on, but I doubt it'll do much."

"That's fine. We'll just have to kick Argento's ass ourselves." Kaz grinned confidently.

"You really think we can?" Over the past few days, we'd all been preparing like crazy. Rani had used her magic to mimic Argento and Carson's powers in our training. Miles had made sure we learned about all of the weapons Faith, being Argento's personal engineer, had built, including the ones she built a year and a half ago that had ended up on the black market (we actually had one of them, back from when a handful of train robbers had tried using them against Bree and Chase. Miles had confirmed that Faith had been the one to design them after recognizing a numeral signature on the side of it) **(1)**. Hell, we'd even memorized the blueprints to the entire facility. But a part of me was still nervous that we wouldn't be able to win this battle.

"Where there's a will, there's a way, right?" Kaz reasoned. I gave him a confused smile.

"You're in awfully a good mood for what's about to happen. What's up?" I questioned. He smiled.

"I'll tell you after we beat the bad guys, alright?" He promised, kissing me on the lips. He grinned. "Let's go."

 **Chase's POV**

"Glad you guys could make it." Miles smiled as I led us in through a secret fire escape on one of the lower levels to the underground base. "Don't worry about the cameras - I've got them running on a loop. We're safe so long as we're on this floor."

"Where are we, exactly?" Kaz questioned, glancing around.

"B-Level 1. It's just below the main entrance. Should give us quick access to Argento, Carson, and the others." Jessica explained.

 _"Yeah, I can see you guys."_ Calla added, her voice coming in through our ear pieces. _"Kaz, two feet in front of you and you'd be directly underneath the door to Miles' office."_

"Cool." Kaz grinned, impressed.

"What about the other agents? Do we have to worry about them shooting at us?" Alivia questioned. Miles shook his head.

"Jess got me a list of the others that were kept in the dark. I've got them leading the others on training exercises or fake missions. Some of my old buddies at UPSEI are going to intercept them soon." He explained, smirking.

"In other words, we should have the entire base to ourselves, so we can take out Graham, Argento, Sienna, Carson, and Faith without any interruptions." Jessica added, smiling.

"It's so cute how you really think you're capable of doing that." Faith spoke up, stepping out of the shadows at the other end of the hall. Clearly she was ready for a fight - unlike last time, when she only had the one weapon, she was now armed with a large blaster, with another one strapped to her left thigh and some sort of device attached to her right. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice that my cameras had been messed with, babe?"

"I thought you'd be too busy plotting world domination. My bad." Miles retorted, slowly pulling two blasters out of his side holsters. He twisted one in his hand so that he was holding it by the barrell, and held it towards Jessica without taking his eyes off of Faith. "Jess, take the others, find Argento. I've got her."

"You could use a little help." Jaden mentioned, pulling out his own weapon. Faith smirked, amused.

"Howdy, cuz. You're really going to take me down?" She teased, cocking her weapon.

"Go." I told the others, raising my hand. My plasma bo appeared in the palm, and I gave my sister a confident smile. "Split up, don't let them double-team you. Our best advantage is our numbers, got it?"

"Got it." Bree nodded, giving Jaden and I a look that clearly warned us to be careful before motioning for Jessica to lead the way. Jessica grabbed the weapon Miles was offering her, then started leading them down the hall. Jaden, Miles, and I turned back to Faith.

"You do know that Argento chose me as his personal engineer for a reason, right? I build weapons to kill things like you for a living." She adjusted her grip on her weapon, pointing it at me.

"You haven't killed anyone yet." I reminded her, cocky. She raised an eyebrow.

"Better get started then." She replied before pulling the trigger.

 **Dani's POV**

"We shouldn't have left them." Jessica muttered, even as she led us through the halls. Behind us, I could hear the sound of blaster fire, and for a moment, a part of me agreed.

"We didn't have a choice. They can take care of Faith, I'm sure of it." Lily assured her. Jessica nodded and led us up a set of stairs. We came out on the main level, near Miles' and Jessica's offices.

"Split up, like Chase said." Liam told us.

"Okay, you, Lily, and I-" Rani was cut off by the sound of Agent Graham's voice.

"Henderson! What the hell do you think you're doing? Did you not hear Parker's warning?" Graham demanded, coming forward, also holding a dangerous looking blaster. "What the hell?" He demanded, realizing who we were.

"Go." Jessica gave us a smile before whipping around, pulling her weapon out, and pulling the trigger. The blast missed - it flew just over Graham's shoulder - but it was enough to get us moving. We'd already agreed upon teams on our way up here, as a precaution, and we broke off, each of us heading in a different direction.

As I followed Kaz and Skylar to the North side of the base, I could see the others out of the corner of my eye. Taylor and Kieran decided to join with Jessica, unwilling to leave her to fight her former mentor alone, while Ollie, Alivia, and Bree went for the security office, where Jessica said Sienna liked to work when it was quiet. Meanwhile, Rani, Liam, and Lily headed for Argento's office. I hadn't liked that part of the plan - them going after Argento alone, but with Rani's magic, Lily's precognition, and Liam's ability to counteract the photon-blasters that Faith had developed after studying his light powers, it was the best plan we could come up with.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Carson mused, waiting for us as we turned the corner. He was standing next to the alarm button, the glass around it smashed and shattered. Not that there was any point in sounding off the alarm now. Carson smirked at our surprised looks. "An alien and two little freaks."

"If we're freaks, what does that make you?" I challenged. He smirked.

"A more powerful freak." He retorted raising his hands. The glass from the smashed alarm casing rose off the ground and soared towards us.

Kaz pushed me to the ground at the last minute, the two of us narrowly avoiding being hit by the tiny, deadly shards. Skylar, on the other hand, ducked behind the wall, to dodge them.

"You had to ask." Kaz muttered, pushing off of me. I smirked and rolled onto my side before attempting to get up, choosing to instead send a ball of lightning towards the criminal.

 **Oliver's POV**

"Alright, Sienna. No one wants to hurt you if we can avoid it, so just come quietly and we'll let you see A-" Bree's voice died in her throat as she entered the security room. It wasn't until I pushed past her that I saw why.

"I see you weren't expecting me." Argento observed, getting up from his seat in front of the security monitors. Each screen was trained on a different fight going on through the complex - Chase, Kaz, and Miles fending off Faith, Taylor, Kieran, and Jessica going after Graham, my sister, Kaz, and Skylar avoiding Carson's attacks, and Rani, Liam, and Lily surrounding Sienna in Argento's office. "Oh, I told my daughter she could use my office while I worked on retrieving my grandson."

"You wanted to catch us off guard." One of Alivia's duplicates observed. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the other two right behind me, all of them glaring at Argento.

"I thought it would make things more interesting." He agreed, smirking a little. He looked at me. "I take it you know who I am?"

"We do. You're finished, Argento." I snarled, raising my hands and preparing to attack. He hummed thoughtfully at my words, unfazed.

"Bridget thought so too. But now look at us - I'm about to destroy the Elite Force once and for all while she rots in a prison cell." He mentioned. He stopped, smiling to himself. "I think I'll pay her a visit once I'm through with you, let her know I followed through with my promise to eliminate you and your sister."

"You have to beat us, first." Alivia reminded him. Without waiting for him to reply, I raised my hand and sent a ball of plasma his way. He didn't move in the slightest, but the panel of steel in front of him ripped from the ground to shield him from the attack. After my icy blast did nothing more than leave a frosty mark in it, I saw Argento wave his hand and the metal twisted before our eyes. It ripped itself apart until there were a dozen slivers of it, all jagged and about the size of a ruler. Looking almost bored, he waved his hand again and the slivers of metal raced towards us, each one of them aimed for one of our hearts.

 **Kihonne: That seemed like a good cliff-hanger to end on, all of them just beginning their fights against their opponents. So, what did you guys think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? C'mon guys, you know how this works – you guys review, I get motivated, and you get a better chapter in return. Anyway, there's only two chapters left! Here's the update schedule, just to remind you:**

 **October 8** **th** **: Heroes**

 **October 15** **th** **: The End of an Era**

 **Alright guys, I'll see you guys next time with the action-packed ending to our two-part fight with S.H.I.R.T.! Until then, don't forget to review!**

 **(1) Anyone remember that code? It was 1908091820-0616, which, if you replace each two-digit number with the corresponding letter of the alphabet, you get SHIRT-FP. Thought there'd be a few of you wondering about that.**


	51. Heroes

**Kihonne: First off, I'd like to say Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! Hope it was a great holiday for you guys! Second of all, who else is ready for 'Heroes', the second-to-last chapter of the Power of Seven? It's definitely going to be action-packed, so let's get onto it as quickly as we can! But first, it's shoutout time!**

 **Xxx**

 **Algernon23: It has been a while since that part was introduced to the story. Honestly, I'd forgotten about for a while too, so I figure it's been too long for anyone to even try to put it together, so don't feel bad. And yeah, I know right? Part of me can't wait to write that final chapter, but the other part of me wants me to try and extend this a whole season despite being out of ideas just to be able to write more for these characters. It's definitely going to be a sad day.**

 **LabGirl2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!**

 **Foreverlondon66: As I mentioned to Astronema2345, the lack of ideas wasn't the only reason I was choosing not to write the story – I simply don't have time to work on another writing project at this time. As for Kaz's news, you're just going to have to keep reading to find out.**

 **SzymonS: Well, his name literally translates to "silver", so I thought it would be a waste if I didn't give him the ability to control regular metals or precious metals. So yes, he does have the same powers as Magneto. I'm so glad you enjoy how I wrote his character! Honestly, I just don't feel like having them all fight together would work out very well. Writing-wise, it would be chaotic trying to write a single battle that was 15 VS 5, and I guarantee you that the end product would just end up confusing people. Plot-wise, fighting multiple people doesn't necessarily work in the team's favor, especially in an underground base that has limited room. One on one would keep their focus from being divided and allow them to move around without being crowded. I'm so glad you enjoyed the series so much! What you said was very touching, so thank you so much! I'm glad you're looking forward to Legacies. Now, you mentioned a spinoff with the same name as an original? I wasn't entirely sure what you were trying to say there – I'm sure it's just the language barrier though. Were you referring to the final chapter of the story and the new upcoming story both being called End of an Era? If so, that was by design. I thought the stories would compliment each other, though I will explain more in the next chapter about what the new story will be about.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're excited! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **GU3ST: This gave me a laugh! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you liked it! I agree, it is bittersweet. I can't believe that this is basically the end of the story, after five years of writing for these characters. Sure, it's not actually THE end, because I'm still going to be working with their kids, but it's still definitely AN end, and I'm definitely going to miss this. Thank you so much for your kind words – please know that I enjoy hearing from you, reviews or PMs, just as much as you enjoy reading my stories. Seriously, I know I'm not supposed to pick favorites, but you have no idea how much I look forward to your reviews. I'm so glad I've been able to take your mind off rough days in the past, but I really hope you know how much you, and all the other reviewers have done that for me. Writing for you guys is an absolute pleasure – having such a committed relationship with all of you guys is just a perk of the writing. Anyway, as for the rest of your review…Yeah, Jessica is definitely going to have to earn their trust back now, but at least she's trying. Miles too, though he doesn't have nearly as much to prove as she does. AJ…poor kid. I've really put him through the ringer, haven't I? Don't worry, he may not have the easiest time now, but he'll be okay in the end. I'm glad you liked how I included the artifact – I thought it would be an interesting twist with it. And yeah, Rani's definitely going to want that book back, that's for sure. We are going to see a bit of Emily and Noah in Legacies. I've always been fond of showcasing sibling / sibling-like relationships, and Legacies is definitely going to be Family-genre story. There are about 4 sibling / sibling-like relationships that I plan on working with in Legacies, so you're definitely going to get your fill of that, I promise. As for whether or not Emily has powers, like you said, you're definitely going to have to wait for Legacies to see who has abilities, and how some of them may have gotten them. I'm so glad you're excited for the chapter, even if Rani, Liam, and Lily aren't the ones fighting Argento. I do agree that they'd be able to take him down a lot easier, but it would be a shame if I didn't have the team's most powerful witch face off against the woman who literally brought back the dead. I may not be focusing on them as much as I would like, but Rani is definitely going to be able to show her stuff. Same with Liam and Lily. Thank you for pointing out the mistakes though – it can get confusing when working with this number of characters, so I probably just got Alivia and Skylar mixed up when writing that final scene. That's fixed now. Please don't apologize for a short review or a late one – your reviews are an amazing length (as much as I love all reviews, yours is so much better than just 1 or 2 word reviews) and I actually enjoy getting them the same day I'm supposed to post. I usually end up doing these review responses right before posting, so it's not like you're being inconvenient, and it's nice to see a review from you when I wake up in the morning. It's a good way to start a Monday. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!**

 **Dani: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or Elite Force. She only owns me, this story, all OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kaz's POV**

"This isn't working!" Dani shouted, snapping her head to the side to avoid getting blinded as the swarm of glass shards came flying towards her again. Skylar blasted them from where she stood, but only succeeded in getting rid of some of them - most of them were simply breaking up in to smaller, harder to see but no less dangerous, pieces. Dani followed suit, shooting a bolt of lightning at them, only to scowl when the attack did virtually nothing. She glanced at me helplessly. "This is why I don't like insulators!" She snapped.

I grimaced in agreement, raising my own hand to send a ball of fire towards the glass. But to my disappointment (though not my surprise), the glass flew out of the fire, undisturbed in their flight path.

"We have to take Carson out." I said to Skylar as she backed into the wall I was using to protect myself from the attacks. Dani was on the other side, none of us able to get into the hallway where Carson was controlling the glass from without making ourselves an easy target.

"No shit, Sherlock, but how do we propose we do that?" The Calderan challenged. "We can't even get in there to send a distance attack, let alone one close enough that his glass swarm won't be able to stop it."

"Well, what we're doing right now isn't working." I argued.

"Guys!" Dani cried, raising her hand to send sparks out at the glass that dared to come too close. Her powers may not be effective against the glass, but they were enough to defend herself. "Not the time!"

"Kaz." Skylar glanced at me, then nodded at the space in front of the hallway. Already having been thinking the same thing, I nodded and raised my hands, shooting out a continuous fiery burst from my hands. Skylar jumped behind the fire, completely hidden from Carson's line of sight, and sent a blast of plasma through the fire. Now, my fire may have slowed down the attack, but the sound of shattering glass in front of us proved that Skylar's attack still went through and hit the swarm head on. I doubted that the blast stopped it, but it certainly shrank the glass swarm at least a little.

"We need a better plan." Skylar stated. Dani sucked a breath in through her teeth.

"Well, I've got a plan, but it's not necessarily a good one." She mentioned. Skylar and I both looked at her expectantly, knowing that even a bad plan was better than what we had right now. "You guys remember the first time we fought Megahertz?"

"Oh God." Skylar muttered, remembering that fiasco.

"You remember how that didn't actually work, right? Tecton still had to save the day." I reminded Dani. She gave me a look. "No, it's a bad idea."

"Do you have anything better?" She retorted. I struggled to come up with an answer, but the truth was, I didn't have one. "It's all we've got, Kaz. Just be ready, okay?"

I sighed, not liking the plan one bit. "Be careful." I warned, lowering my hand and stopping the burst of fire. She nodded and gave me her signature 'I'm Dani and I think I'm immortal' smile before stepping right into the line of fire.

"Hey! Ugly!" She shouted, spreading her arms wide as she stepped into the hallway.

 **Jaden's POV**

In the past few years, I'd faced bionic psychopaths, vengeful shapeshifters, and the most disturbing case of bad parenting that I'd ever seen, so I figured that Miles, Chase, and I would be able to handle Faith in a matter of minutes, then go to help the others. I was mistaken.

"Who builds a sonic blaster?" I shouted, hands clutching my ears as Faith's weapon sounded off. Miles and Chase were both doubled over as well, the latter having released his plasma bo in his desperation to protect his already sensitive ears.

No one answered me, though I couldn't be sure they had heard me in the first place. As Faith's weapon finally stopped sending sonic waves directly at us, she pulled out another weapon - an automatic Sig Sauer, if I wasn't mistaken - and aimed it at Chase.

Miles scrambled for his own weapon, one hand still clutching his head. Chase, on the other hand, was still struggling to recover from the sonic, his bionic ears making the attack so much worse on him than it was for us.

"Faith!" I shouted, trying to distract her away from Chase. I'd dropped my blaster when her sonic weapon went off, but right now, I was just hoping to keep her attention long enough for Miles to take her out. "Why are you doing this? We're family."

"Our blood doesn't make us family, Jaden. And our conquest is too important to be stopped by my cousin." She retorted, stopping just long enough to snap at me. I smiled a little.

"What about your ex?" I questioned. Before she could react, Miles flipped his blaster around in his hand and shot Faith in the knee. She went down, and I charged at her, intending to pin her down and cuff her from behind. Even injured, though, Faith was prepared for an attack, and twisted her torso at the last minute to slam her elbow into my crotch with all her might. I dropped to my knees in agony, clutching the area.

Thankfully, Chase had finally recovered and rejoined the fight, swinging his plasma bo staff around dangerously as he approached. Faith smirked, but refused to engage with him in a bo staff fight, instead turning her sonic blaster towards him. I pushed myself towards her, using my weight to bring her from her knees onto her back, but it wasn't until after she'd already pulled the trigger. The sonic waves went wild from their target and hit Miles instead, the concentrated power of the blast enough to send him into the air.

However, it did give Chase a chance to approach her, and at the last minute, I rolled off of her, giving him the room to attack. Using his telekinesis, he sent her sliding across the ground until she hit the wall behind her with a loud thud. "I don't want to have to hurt you, Faith. No one has died yet, and no one has to. Come quietly, and we'll see what we can do about getting you a lessened sentence."

To my surprise, Faith laughed at that. "Yeah...no thanks."

Before any of us could react, she raised her gun, which I had failed to realize was still in her hands, and pulled the trigger.

 **Bree's POV**

At the sight of the deadly pieces of metal, I sped into Alivia and Oliver, pushing them out of harm's way. The pieces of metal barely missed us, either burying themselves into the wall behind us, or flying through the open door.

"You really think we can be taken out by floor tiles?" One of Alivia's duplicates teased before it charged directly at the superhuman, while another one darted to the left, trying to hit him from the side. The third took the unconventional route, literally leaping at the wall only to push off it in his direction for extra power. Meanwhile, Oliver and I did our best to help - I sped towards Argento from a different angle, hoping that the four direct attackers would confuse him, while Oliver used his powers to create a number of large, frozen, stalactites in the ceiling above him.

Argento, however, wasn't having it. With the snap of his fingers, the metal paneling on the floor beneath me and two of Alivia's duplicates rippled like a wave, tripping us all up. I stumbled and was unable to slow down enough to stop my fall. Alivia's two duplicates tripped over the sudden wave in the floor, one falling on her knees while the other managed to keep going. Not that Argento could care less about not being able to stop the , for he used his powers to control the chair next to him. He threw it into the air, hitting the third duplicate with it so hard that she went flying into the Alivia that was still standing.

Meanwhile, Oliver finally dropped his stalactites, the base of the icy spikes now the size of basketballs.

Argento was waiting for it, however, the metal panels on the walls to the left and right flying over his head to prevent himself from being hit. The stalactites still did some damage, creating rather larger dents in the panels, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

"Is that truly the best your team has to offer?" Argento questioned, unamused. When none of us answered, he shook his head. "Naïve children and their unsupported optimism."

He raised one hand and twitched his fingers. That slight movement caused the metal to twist and shred itself again, giving him another three dozen weapons to use against us.

"Liv." Oliver said, glancing back at the redhead, but there was no need - Alivia had already merged back together with her duplicates, reducing the number of targets that Argento had to one. While her powers were usually very useful, but in a situation like this, it only made us more vulnerable to have too many fighting on our side. As much as I'd like to call the others to our sides, there wasn't much room in this security room anyway.

Argento went to attack us with the shards again, but this time, Oliver raised a wall of ice between us, giving us a brief reprieve from the attacks. He glanced back at us, breathless. "I hope the others are doing better than we are."

 **Jaden's POV**

"Chase!" I shouted as my brother-in-law went down. Faith laughed in satisfaction, pushing herself to her feet with a gleeful smile. A second voice was screaming in my ear, Calla having evidently seen everything unfold from her monitors at the penthouse.

"Faith!" Miles shouted, shocked, even as he turned his weapon on her. She raised her hands slightly, the gun pointing upwards in her right hand. "Drop the gun."

"I can't believe you're on their side." She retorted, choosing not to do as he asked. "They're the enemy, Miles!"

 _"Jaden? Jaden, is he okay?"_ Calla demanded, voice on the verge of panic. I scrambled over to him, still being careful to keep Miles and Faith in eyeshot in case something else went wrong.

"Enemy? The only one here who wants to kill anybody is you! How does that not scream that you're on the wrong side?" Miles snapped, shaking his head at his crazy ex-girlfriend. He glanced back at me, not taking his weapon off of her. "How is he?"

"Chase, man, talk to me." I said, scrambling over to him. He didn't so much talk as he did groan, but hey, I'll take what I can get. Luckily, the bullet missed the important parts of his chest, instead going through his side. If he was really lucky, it may have even missed his liver, but for now, I was just glad that he was still alive. "He's still with us."

"Not sure...I want...to be..." Chase groaned again, hands wandering to the still-bleeding wound.

"Calla, he's alright. We haven't lost him yet." I promised my sister, one hand on my comm. I looked at Chase. "Can you stand?"

"Think so." He muttered, raising his head. I offered him my hand and pulled him to his feet. He swayed a little, but managed to keep standing. One hand was pressed to the wound, a pained grimace on his face.

"I've got her. You guys go find medical - it should be near the main entrance." Miles called over his shoulder.

"Oh, you've got me, do you?" Faith teased, clearly unimpressed. She played with the gun in her hand. "Please, we both know that you're not going to shoo-"

Miles didn't even hesitate before pulling the trigger of his blaster. Because she was already up against the wall, the blast hit Faith so hard her head rebounded against the metal paneling and she slid to the ground, unconscious.

"Enough people have suffered for this." He muttered, pulling out a pair of cuffs.

"Babe, I'm okay." Chase muttered. I glanced at him to see one hand pressed against his comm. He slowly lowered it, then looked back at Miles with a pained grimace. "Where did you say medical was?"

 **Calla's POV**

"Oh my God." I pressed my hands together in front of my face, just touching my nose as I watched Jaden help Chase towards a section my blueprints had labeled as 'Med Bay'. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the sounds of everyone's comms dulled in my ears as I reminded myself over and over again that he was alive.

"I can't believe Faith shot him." AJ commented, glancing at me from where he was sitting next to the cot I'd had him bring down from Emily's room. I nodded silently, glancing between each of the screens in search of more casualties.

Oliver, Bree, and Alivia were holding their ground, just barely, against Argento. They were almost powerless against him, but thankfully, they seemed to be able to keep themselves from getting killed. It wasn't much, but it would have to do until the others could provide them backup.

Graham was doing surprisingly well against Taylor, Kieran, and Jessica. Perhaps it was because he'd gotten a couple of the agents who'd stayed behind to help him out. It didn't matter - even from here, I could see my friends slowly gaining ground on them. Still, one badly aimed shot on their part, or a lucky shot on Graham's side, would change the whole course of the fight.

Kaz, Dani, and Skylar were...well, up until a moment ago, they'd been doing just as badly as Alivia, Oliver, and Bree, but now...Well, I didn't know what Dani was thinking opening herself up to Carson's line of fire like that, but I knew it was stupid, likely to get her killed, and probably the best idea they could come up with given the circumstances.

I looked at Sienna's security screen last, knowing that AJ had barely taken his eyes off of it since Rani, Liam, and Lily had approached her. Liam, Lily, and Rani were all experience fighters, they should have been able to take a soccer mom down with ease, but Sienna was clearly using her advanced spell-knowledge to her advantage. I couldn't hear the words she was saying, but it was like she was in command of the entire room. Desk drawers were flying around like projectiles, pens and erasers like bullets. The lights were flickering, and it was all Rani could do to cast spells to cancel out Sienna's. But Sienna had a more powerful list of spells at her disposal, and Rani was tiring out fast. If she went down, Lily and Liam wouldn't be able to protect her and fight off Sienna at the same time.

"I wish there was something I could do." I muttered anxiously. I was trying to hide it for AJ's sake - he already had enough on his mind without having me freak out - but I was scared. I was terrified. I wasn't sure if Chase, Bree, Jaden, or any of the others were going to walk away from this.

"You're giving them heads up from here in case any more agents come." AJ pointed out. I shook my head.

"It's not enough. I'm useless from here." I rubbed my eyes, trying to hide the tears of frustration from showing. "I can't do anything - they might as well be alone in the dark."

"I'm sure they don't feel that way..." AJ mentioned, trying to cheer me up. I frowned, wheels spinning. "What?"

"They're alone in the dark." I repeated. He nodded, not following but knowing from experience that this tone meant I had an idea. I grabbed a comm and took a deep breath to steady myself. "Hey, Rani. Question for you: how far can your magic go?"

 **Kaz's POV**

"Are you kidding me?" Carson stopped short, an amused smirk on his face. "Now what do you think you're doing?"

"Well," Dani shrugged, taking another step closer to Carson. From here, I could see her smirk growing, trying to look a lot more confident in her plan than I was sure she felt, "I figured, if I have to go out, I might as go out being as obnoxious as possible."

Carson raised an eyebrow at that. "If that's what you want." He replied, deciding not to care. I saw him raise his hand and twist his wrist until the glass swarm stopped. Then, he twitched his wrist and the swarm charged at her.

"Dee!" I shouted before shooting a ball of fire at her. At the same time, Skylar threw a plasma ball in the same direction. Dani dropped low, leaning so far back that, aside from the hands she was using to balance herself, she was practically horizontal. Skylar's plasma blast hit the glass swarm before it could hit Dani, causing it to shatter and scatter for a brief moment, just long enough for my fireball to break through and hit Carson in the chest. He stumbled back a few paces, letting out an angry cry of pain, but Dani didn't give him the chance to recover. She flipped over completely, then, without a second's hesitation, sent a blast of electricity his way.

Unfortunately, Carson recovered much quicker than we thought, and by time Dani's electrical blast reached him, he had moved the glass swarm, somehow still functional, in front of him to act as a shield. The lightning hit the tiny shards harmlessly, giving Carson a chance to recover completely. I went to fire again - now that Dani was in the hallway, but just close enough to the edge that Skylar and I could still attack without hurting her, I could hit him with the full force of my powers - but then, something unexpected happened.

The lights went out.

"What the hell?" Skylar demanded as the entire base suddenly went completely dark.

 _"I thought of another thing we could take advantage of. Give it a sec."_ Calla replied, her voice oddly cheerful in the comms despite the darkness. But just as she'd warned, a second later, my vision started to return. There was something wrong with it - though I could see everything, it was like everything was bathed in a golden, yellow glow. _"Better?"_

"How are you doing this?" Dani whispered.

 _"You can thank Rani for it later. Right now, kick ass."_ Calla replied.

"With pleasure." I muttered, turning towards Carson.

"What the hell did you freaks do?" He demanded. I could see the glass swarm sticking close to him as he swiveled his head, unsure of where the next attack would come from. Skylar motioned for Dani and Ito change our stances, and we did. Skylar took her place behind Carson, being careful to move as quietly as possibly, while Dani made as much noise as she could to keep his focus on her as she slowly moved to Carson's left.

I smirked, looking at the confused villain as I stood no more than a few feet in front of him. "Hey, Carson." I called, creating a fireball in my hand, just in front of me. He reacted as expected, taking a shot for my stomach. I backed up just enough to avoid the hit, and Dani went in for her chance, slamming into him from the side. Once he was off kilter, Skylar took the final shot, shooting him in the head with the largest plasma ball I'd ever seen her create.

This attack knocked him out cold, his body hitting the ground with a soft thud. I knelt down next to check his pulse and to make sure he was really unconscious. "Good idea, Calla." I commented, smirking.

 **Bree's POV**

"Calla, you're a genius." I complimented as our vision returned in the darkness.

"I see Calla Davenport has managed to get herself into our systems." Argento observed, standing in the darkness. I could see the metal shards twirling in the air, not moving anywhere, but ready to become impossibly fast projectiles at any moment. "She thinks she's quite clever, doesn't she? Sienna, would you please handle this?"

I didn't answer, instead watching as Oliver created a cryoball in his hands. I waited for Alivia to split up again and for her duplicates to get into position, before readying myself at the door. I waited for Oliver to nod as his signal – silent, so as to not alert Argento to our plans – then sped at the villain just as Alivia's duplicates charged and Oliver shot the cryoball. But the moment we moved, the ground beneath Argento disappeared and he fell through a black hole. All of Alivia's duplicates and I stopped just in time to avoid following him, then looked at the hole in confusion as it closed up again. "Where'd he go?" Alivia demanded.

 _"Rani, Liam, and Lily just lost Sienna too. Give me a - wait, there they are!"_ Calla proclaimed in our ears. _"The conference area, in the main part of the base. Careful - he and Sienna are together now."_

"Thanks." I reached for Oliver and Alivia, now down to one again, then sped them towards the section that Calla had mentioned.

To our disappointment, Sienna had figured out a way around Calla and Rani's little darkness scheme - bright blue orbs of light surrounded the area, not only providing Sienna and Argento with a perfect light source, but also adding an eerie feel to the room.

"Did you really think turning out the lights would stop us?" Argento questioned as Oliver, Alivia and I approached him.

"Face it, you've lost." Sienna told us. She glanced hesitantly at her father, then continued. "If you stand down, surrender, and tell us where AJ is, we won't have to kill you."

"First of all, no one is handing AJ back over to you. We all know better than to put a kid back in that kind of living situation." Alivia snapped, protective of the kid even though she herself had only known him for a couple of months. "And second of all, do you really expect us to believe that you won't kill us? You kidnapped our friends, sent a team of armed assailants to murder us in our home...why would we believe you?"

"That kind of living situation? You kidnapped my son!" Sienna snapped at us, furious.

"We saved him from you." Rani argued, slowly coming down the stairs. Liam and Lily were right behind her. All of them looked worse for wear, but I was reassured by the fact that I couldn't see any serious injuries from here. "He's a hell of a lot safer away from you."

Sienna glowered at her, but before she could retort, Argento stepped in.

"Enough." He said calmly. He looked at his daughter. "Sienna, I tire of this. Surely you have a spell that can end this quickly? We need to retrieve your brother from the children who managed to capture him."

"I don't think I have a spell than can just capture all of them." Sienna mentioned softly, watching us all warily.

"I did not say capture." Argento replied sternly. Sienna looked at him, hesitant. "Do it. We will retrieve Andrew once we are finished here."

Sienna sighed, obviously not liking it, but going along with his plan for AJ's sake.

"Exsugere caeli." She murmured, raising her hand towards the ceiling. Before I could turn and ask Rani what that spell was supposed to do, the air above our heads began to almost...twist. It was like when you drain a full tub, except that it was the air that was draining, swirling around a random point in the air as it evacuated the room. Already, I could feel my lungs fighting to breathe as the air became thinner and thinner. "Da Patrem caeli. Da mi caeli." Sienna continued, sucking in a deep breath.

I looked at the others, panicked as I tried to come up with a plan. But without being able to breathe, I knew I wouldn't be able to run at them, let alone fast enough to take Sienna out. One glance at the others told me that they were facing the same trouble.

 **Calla's POV**

"Shit! Uh...I could...no..." I trailed off, unsure of what to do. This is why I hated magic - I couldn't just flip a switch and turn her off, or send a new code to change the spell's function. This was completely out of my ability to fix, and because of that, Chase and the others were going to die.

"Calla." AJ spoke up.

"What?" I demanded, not looking away from my screen.

"I have an idea." He continued. That got my attention. I spared him a quick glance before turning my attention back to the screen. Sienna's spell wasn't just affecting the room she and Argento were in - judging by the panicked looks on everyone's faces, it was also affecting the medical bay along with the upper offices.

"What is it, AJ?" I questioned desperately.

"You're just going to have to trust me." He told me, looking at me with wide, desperate eyes.

 **Bree's POV**

I coughed and spluttered, trying desperately to catch a breath. Sienna wasn't looking at us, instead focusing intently on the ground. I didn't think she wanted to do this - I was pretty sure Argento was forcing her to - but it didn't matter. AJ was enough of a motivation for her to eliminate each and every one of us here and now.

At least Calla wasn't here. She had Noah with her, he would be okay. Even if Jaden and I weren't, he would be, and that was what mattered.

"Bree!" I could hear my sister-in-law screaming in my ear, but it was hard to focus on her words. Between the roaring of the air rushing from the room and the heavy beatings of my own heart, I could barely hear anything. "Bree! Listen to me! Hit the alarm!"

The alarm...?

"The alarm, Bree! It's the only idea we've got! You've got to hit it!" Calla continued. I didn't understand what that would do, or if it would even do anything at all, but it wasn't like any more options.

I stumbled over to the alarm button, hidden behind a glass case. I imagined that this was intended to be used for fires or perhaps intrusions like ours. How this would help us was beyond my understanding, but all I could do was trust Calla and hope it worked out in our favor.

I slammed my fist into the glass with all my might and watched as the glass shards flew into the hole that Sienna was draining our air into. Then I hit the alarm and prayed.

"Mom!" Instead of some loud, blaring alarm, it was AJ's voice that came out of the speakers in the corners of the room. "Mom, stop! Please! They're my friends."

"AJ?" Sienna looked up at her son's voice. She looked around, as if expecting him to be there. "Honey, where are you? Where did they take you?"

"Somewhere safe, but Mom, you have to stop." AJ pleaded with her. "They're good people, and they don't deserve to die for Grandpa's little grudge match."

"Show a little respect, Andrew." Argento snarled. I coughed, sinking to my knees as my vision started to blur. This wasn't good.

"Please, Mom. Don't kill them. Don't become like him." AJ begged.

"I'm trying to protect you! They're not as good as you think, honey. For goodness sake's, one of them helped kill your uncle!"

"No, Bridget killed Uncle Carson. Dani couldn't stop her, true, but it was Bridget who killed him." AJ paused before continuing. "Do you know how she became a villain, Mom? How she became one of the most feared people on this planet? Grandpa threatened her children, and all she wanted was to protect them. But she went too far. You still have a chance to be better than her."

I saw the others struggling to stay conscious now too, and I prayed that something AJ was saying would get through to Sienna.

"AJ..." Sienna trailed off.

"Please, Mom. Don't be like her. I don't want this kind of protecting, okay?" I could hear AJ's voice wavering as he became more and more emotional. "All I want is my mom."

And then, just as I thought I was going to pass out, I felt air returning to my lungs. Looking up, through the slowly receding black dots, I saw Sienna lower her hands from the hole that was slowly growing smaller and smaller.

"Sienna!" Argento snapped, turning on his daughter. She shook her head, backing away from him.

"Bridget Short stole my family from me. She took my father, my brother...but if helping you get revenge means becoming like her, I can't be on your side."

"You insolent brat!" Argento snapped, raising his hand. A piece of the metal paneling shot upwards to hit her in the face, knocking her down on the ground.

"Hey!" Rani snapped, raising her hands. Liam joined her, and together they blasted the metal tile with a twisted blast of pure light and pitch black shadows.

Oliver smirked and raised his own hand, sending a cryoblast towards the metal manipulator. He blocked it with another slab of metal before using another three metal tiles to black incoming attacks from Kaz, Dani, and Skylar, who had entered the room shortly after Sienna had released her spell.

"Oh, I like this plan!" Jessica called, entering with Kieran and Taylor at her heels. She aimed her weapon at Argento and sent a powerful purple blast at his head. It was, of course, blocked by another metal tile, but that didn't stop her from continuously firing.

"I see we're all getting in on this action?" Chase teased as he, Jaden, and Miles joined us at last. Jaden and Miles turned their weapons on Argento, only for their attacks to be blocked at well.

"You okay?" I questioned, noticing how Chase was holding his side.

"Looks worse than it is." He assured me.

"But you're still going to go to Mighty Med after this to get it checked out." Calla added, not leaving room in her tone for argument. Chase chuckled, then sucked in a breath when the movement pulled on his injury.

"Yes, dear." He promised. He looked at Alivia, Lily, Kieran, Taylor, and I, the only ones without blasting powers or weapons. "Charge?" He suggested, smirking.

"Charge!" Alivia grinned and ran in towards Argento. He tried to block her off, but with half of us keeping his focus divided by trying to blast him and half of us directly attacking him, it was impossible for him to fend all of us off at once.

In the end, it was Taylor who got the first shot in - a sharp kick to the groin, as revenge for keeping her and Kieran locked up for so long - and one by one, we each got a blow in. I got the final attack, Chase using his plasma bo staff to force Argento up against the wall before stepping back to allow me to speed punch him. The hit was so strongly boosted by the speeds I was moving at that it knocked him clean out, his body hitting the ground with a satisfying bang.

"Well, that was...fun." Kaz commented, smirking triumphantly. I looked back at him, then at Sienna, who was still sitting on the ground. She was watching Argento with wary eyes, one hand on her bruised chin, before she pointedly looked away. I looked away from her at Alivia and Chase.

"So, who's calling UPSEI this time?" I asked.

 **Bree's POV**

"Davenport's sending the jet for you guys." I announced, walking back in from the hall. Kieran and Taylor were sitting on the ground in front of the couch, playing with Noah. "It should be here in a few hours. I warn you though - Katherine, Rio, and Logan are all going to be on it."

"Rio's going to kill us." Kieran mentioned to his girlfriend. Taylor laughed in agreement.

"That's certainly an understatement." She agreed.

"Well, maybe they can stay for dinner. That'll hopefully buy you some time before your demise." Calla teased, walking back down the stairs from Emily's nursery. I could still see her moving a little stiffly, but as nearly a week had passed since Emily's birth, she was moving a lot more comfortably than the day she'd come home from the hospital.

"Do you have enough? No one wants to impose." Taylor told her.

Calla shook her head. "Nah, we've got plenty. After all, we didn't know that you guys weren't staying until after already put it in the oven."

"Sorry about that, but you know how it goes - one emergency is followed by another." Lily apologized as Alivia and Rani dropped their bags on the ground by the door. Lily turned to us. "Thank you so much for everything you guys have done for us."

"Seriously. You guys probably saved our lives." Liam added, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Any time." Skylar assured them. She looked around, noticing that we were missing a few guys. "Where are Kaz, Dani, Chase, and AJ? They should say goodbye."

"Well, Kaz is upstairs, saying goodbye to Dani, I think." Oliver explained, a small smile on his face. I knew that Dani had already talked to him about her decision to stay with the New League of Heroes after all of this, and while he accepted it, he was definitely sad to see her go. "And I think Chase and AJ are upstairs too. Chase said he wanted to show AJ something."

"I'll go get them." Jaden offered, kissing me on the cheek before heading up the stairs.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey, I think we should maybe talk." I started, coming into Dani's room. She was standing by her bed, folding clothes to put in her bag. She glanced at me as I came in, lifted her head a little, but didn't look at me.

"I...Do we have to?" She asked slowly. I frowned.

"Is there a reason we can't?" I questioned, confused. She sighed and sat down on the bed, looking up at me with her big, beautiful eyes.

"Because I think I know how this ends. And I don't want it to end." She murmured. I shook my head, amused.

"The last time I checked, Lily was the only psychic we knew." I replied, smirking. She gave me a look.

"Kaz, I'm not coming back." She told me seriously, her voice strained a little. "Look, I love you, and I love Ollie, and the rest of the team, but the League is my home now. It's where I belong."

"I know. I wasn't going to try and convince you to leave." I promised. She raised her head, surprised. "I mean, I was going to try to convince you to take a vacation..."

"A vacation." She repeated, as if the word were foreign to her. I chuckled and sat down on the bed next to her.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure we deserve it." I pointed out. "And besides, something occurred to me: we can both FLY, and yet we still haven't gone to Europe yet. Didn't you want to see Paris?"

"I mean, yes, but we're superheroes - we can't just up and leave." Dani pointed out, turning to me.

"The League's got enough heroes on the payroll now that we actually can. And with Argento being in prison, it's going to take time for the villain world to recover enough to prepare yet another superhero apocalypse, so I think we should enjoy it while we can."

"I'll have to talk to Liv..." Dani sighed, smiling a little at the idea. I grinned, knowing that Alivia would definitely approve of the idea. Then Dani's smile faded. "But then what? Do you...do you want to try long distance? It worked for Bree and Jaden."

"Hell no, I'm not doing long distance - it never works out long term." I pointed out. Dani crossed her arms.

"Then what do you expect us to do? I'm not rejoining the Force, Kaz." She stated, frustrated. I smiled.

"I know. Which is why I'm joining the League." I told her. She stared at me for a full minute, shocked.

"What?" Was all she could say. I laughed.

"I'm joining the New League of Heroes." I repeated myself. Her eyes widened, lit up like it was Christmas. "Look, the Elite Force is great and all, but I think we all know that we're all kinda moving on with our lives. And I already worked it out with Alivia and-"

Dani didn't even give me the chance to finish before she grabbed me on either side of my face and pulled me in for a kiss.

 **Jaden's POV**

"So, what do you think?" I heard Chase say as I approached the last bedroom, the one that used to belong to Mr. Davenport. Looking inside, I saw that all of Davenport's old furniture had been removed, and replaced with something more befitting of a teenager. There was a blue queen-sized bed, a desk with numerous devices on it, and a number of posters of both scientists and rock bands on the bedroom walls.

"It's...it's cool." AJ replied, dropping his backpack on the bed. Chase nodded, crossing his arms.

"I mean, you can change anything you'd like about it. I kinda just guessed at what you would like. And we can go grab your stuff from your mom's tomorrow to make it feel more like home." He continued. AJ nodded, looking around.

"Can I get a TV in here?" He questioned hopefully. Chase smiled, glad that AJ was taking an interest in the room.

"Talk to Skylar - I think she's moving into Oliver's room sometime this week, and I'm sure she'll let you have the TV that was in her old room." He told the kid. I knocked on the door, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

"Hey guys. I think Rani, Lily, Liam, and Alivia are leaving now. They wanted to say goodbye." I mentioned, stepping in so they could see me.

"Alright." AJ shrugged, heading past me to go downstairs. I looked at Chase.

"How's he doing?" I asked, concerned. Chase frowned.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I think he's doing better than we expected, but for all I know he could be internalizing it." He replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We're going to keep an eye on him, though. Give him someone to talk to if he needs it, keep him on track and stuff."

I nodded. "How long do you guys have custody?" I inquired, following him out of the room.

"Well, Sienna signed papers giving him to us until the trial, which won't be for a few months. After that...well, it'll depend on what her sentence is, but it's probably going to be a few years."

"And you guys are okay with this? I mean, you're brand new to the parenting business." I pointed out. Chase chuckled nervously, nodding in agreement.

"It is going to take some figuring out." He admitted before stopping at the girls' room. He knocked on the door. "Dani, Kaz, you guys coming to say goodbye or not?"

"Fine." A very dramatic sigh came from the room. Chase smirked and looked at me.

"And besides, I've been dealing with them for years. How much harder can a teenager and a baby be than a bunch of adolescent superheroes?" He mentioned.

 **Kaz's POV**

"Hey, man. I brought desert." I declared, walking out onto the veranda with a couple of plates of cherry pie in my hands. Oliver took a piece gratefully before turning back to look at the skyline. "So, I think we should talk..."

"If it's about you leaving to join the New League of Heroes, I already know." Oliver mentioned. I stared at him, surprised. "I overheard you and Alivia talking a week ago. Was wondering when you were going to tell me."

"To be fair, I just told Dani before dinner. You're like the second person I told, aside from when I asked Alivia if I could." I defended myself. Oliver shrugged.

"I'm not mad." He assured me. I nodded slowly and leaned against the wall next to him. "It is going to be weird not having you guys here, though."

"Believe me, it's going to be weird not having you around too." I agreed. I glanced at him. "But dude, we're going to visit, you know. So often that you'll get sick of us."

"I doubt that." Oliver chuckled. He was quiet for a moment. "I'm happy for you guys. You know that right? I know I wasn't always the happiest about my best friend dating my sister, but I am happy for you two."

"We know, man." I patted his shoulder, reassuring him. "And you've got Skylar, which is pretty awesome. You guys going to get an apartment around here?"

"Well, the penthouse is filling up pretty fast." Oliver mentioned, looking over his shoulder at AJ and Emily, the two newest residents of the penthouse. "But nah, I have other plans."

"Yeah?" I looked at him, waiting. He smiled and looked at me.

"So, Horace wants to open another Mighty Med 2.0. He'd been talking about it before the first one was destroyed - it's just inconvenient for all the intergalactic heroes to have to come to Earth every time they're hurt." He explained.

"Especially since the ambulances can't exactly travel through space." I remembered. He nodded.

"Exactly. So, he wants to open another one on another planet, and he wants me to run it." Oliver continued proudly.

"Dude, that's awesome!" I grinned. Oliver had been in charge of our Mighty Med 2.0. before I'd gone and changed the timeline - he would be amazing at running another one. "Any idea which planet?"

"A few places were mentioned for locations. Caldera's among them." He continued. I opened my mouth to say how perfect that would be for Skylar, but then it hit me just where Caldera was.

"And here I thought I was going too far away." I mentioned. He bumped his shoulder with mine.

"Hey, it's not that far - Calla's going to be sending the League new wormhole transporters soon. And I'm not leaving yet - we still need funding just to build the place." Oliver reasoned.

"Still. I can't believe how fast things are changing." I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah." Oliver nodded. He smiled and looked at me. "But not everything changes."

"Such as?" I challenged, curious. He smirked and turned towards the door.

"Hey! Dee!" He called. A moment later, Dani's head poked through the door.

"Yeah, Ollie?" She asked. He waved for her to join us. She smiled in confusion, but headed out onto the veranda. Ollie put his arms around us and pulled us close.

"One last commemorative fake photo?" Oliver suggested. Dani and I both smiled at the same time. My girlfriend raised her hand as if holding a camera.

"Say superheroes." She teased before pretending to press the button.

"Superheroes." I grinned.

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Not going to lie, I wasn't entirely sure how to end the chapter, but I think it's fitting. Anyway, what did you guys think? Good, bad? Somewhere in between? Seriously, please review! This is the last time I'm going to be able to do review responses for this story, so please!**

 **Anyway, next Monday, on the 15** **th** **of October, will be the story's final chapter (boo!), End of an Era. Now, the few of you who have been on my profile may have noticed that I've added another story to the series, in between the Power of Seven and Legacies, under the same name. I plan on explaining more about that in the last author's note of the next chapter, so please stay tuned! I think you're really going to like it.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and please don't forget to review!**


	52. End of an Era

**Okay, wow. I can not believe that we're finally at the end of the Power of Seven. Like, it just hit me that I'm pretty much done with these characters…It's been a crazy ride guys. Okay, first, I want to say thank you for taking this amazing journey with me. Of course, it's not done – I still have The End of an Era (will be explained in the second author's note) and Legacies left - but something about this does feel final. Thank you so much for being here with me, for being patient through the constant late chapters and HIATUSes, for reviewing and for reading. I love doing what I do guys, and you are a big part of that, so thank you.**

 **Anyway, before I get all emotional on you guys, let's get onto shoutouts and the final chapter, okay?**

 **Xxx**

 **LabGirl2001: Lol. I'm glad you enjoyed it, especially the callbacks to the past. I'd thought some people would enjoy it. I'm glad you liked AJ and Calla's part in the fight. I don't want it to end either, to be honest. I'm definitely going to miss working on this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please know how much I enjoyed reading your reviews over the duration of the story.**

 **Algernon23: Wow, it certainly is a long review! Not that I'm complaining – I love long reviews! I totally should have had Dani throw a bed pan, shouldn't I? That would have been funny. Yes, Faith does have psychological issues. At least Chase survived though, that's good. Lol, I love that you went 'uh oh, Calla has a plan'. She is definitely one of those people who need to be feared when they've got plans like that. I'm glad you enjoyed the fight scenes. Though, I wouldn't necessarily brag about GU3ST being wrong – there were two different versions of the chapter, and I posted the one that didn't end with a funeral. Yeah, I think the vacation for Kaz and Dani caught most people off guard, but I think it's perfect for them. Don't worry, AJ will be okay – Calla and Chase will make sure of it. A lot is changing for the characters though, so you're right about this chapter being emotional. It's emotional for me to write, it being the last time that Calla, Chase, Bree, Oliver, Skylar, Jaden, Dani, and Kaz will be main characters. I'm certainly going to miss writing for them. Anyway, I wanted to say thank you for your continuous reviews through the story – I really appreciate the support. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **SzymonS: Ah, yes, that line. I have to admit, it was a last minute addition. Originally, the ending was slightly different (I actually had 3 different endings to the story), but I thought I would leave it off with Oliver, Kaz, and Dani. Yes, Faith proved to be a lot tougher than you gave her credit for. Unfortunately, she's no longer going to be in the series, as I want to put all the focus on this chapter on the team. Yes, Argento and Carson are going to die in jail. Well, frankly, they probably deserve it. Graham really didn't serve much of a function, to be honest. The only reason I added him to begin with was partially to give Jessica a way into S.H.I.R.T. and because I knew that I'd be dealing with a lot of heroes and it would be easier if I gave a few of them a minor villain to fight. I'm so glad you enjoyed that final battle, especially the Sienna / AJ moment. As for Kaz and Dani…well, you're going to have to keep reading to hear about what went on during that little vacation of theirs. I definitely did honor Mighty Med in the last chapter. I tried to do something similar in this for Lab Rats, but there was definitely a reason why Mighty Med and especially Dani got a real focus at the end. I can't go into details just yet, but it does have something to do with the way Legacies is structured. Anyway, thank you so much for your kind words, and for being such a loyal reader and reviewer. I love hearing from you, and look forward to your reviews in my future works. Please, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Foreverlondon66: I know. It seems like it was just yesterday that the Davenports were kids who just wanted to go to school for the first time, and Kaz and the twins were standing in an ER because the boys got trapped in a UFO. It's been a crazy journey for them, that's for sure.**

 **Bennyweirlover17: Thanks so much!**

 **Guest: Ah, yes, Sheep Kaz. Dani probably would have laughed, to be honest. Kaz is one of those people who need to be constantly entertained, which was unfortunate for Oliver and Skylar's date. LOL, your brother certainly has a weird sense of humor. Hopefully you'll get more trick-or-treaters this year. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **MayLeaf2001: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially Calla and Rani's team up. I figured it would be a good way to combine Calla's computer skills with Rani's magic in a way that didn't accidentally cause a time loop, lol. Besides, I thought it would be a fun twist that no one saw coming. No, Faith is definitely not going to be visited by her cousins any time in the near future, especially not after she shot their husband / brother-in-law. Miles is definitely feeling betrayed by her – it seemed fitting to have him take her down. You were right to be worried, by the way, that someone wouldn't make it. I'm not kidding when I say there was a draft of that chapter that ended in a funeral. Yeah, there wasn't as much Liam, Rani, and Lily as I originally planned. It just didn't work out to have them more in the story. Sorry, but don't worry – I've got a special way you can say goodbye to them. Yeah, I think everyone wanted to take a shot at Argento, after everything he'd put them through. I'm glad you liked the Sienna / AJ scene, by the way. I thought it would be a really good way to defeat her without completely breaking AJ's heart. Calla and Chase are definitely going to have their work cut out for them, you're right about that. But I think they're capable of handling it, don't you? Yeah, originally when I plotted out The Year Between and Season 3 of this story, Dani was actually going to rejoin the Elite Force permanently, but as I started writing, I realized that she had, for lack of better terms, out grown the version of herself that was right for the Elite Force. Sometimes characters surprise you like that. Skylar's going to be excited to go home, that's for sure, and with Oliver able to come with her in a way that makes sense, it's the best ending I could think for them…well, aside from one thing ;) It's hard to believe that we're done with the Power of Seven. It doesn't seem real, to be honest. It'll hit me in the morning, I'm sure, but right now, it just feels like another chapter. I wanted to say thank you to you especially – you've always been so supportive of me since you first discovered my writing, and you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you so much. Anyway, I really hope you like the final chapter.**

 **Amazingchichi741: Good question. I'm not making any definite promises at this point, since it's a long way off and my original plans do sometimes change as I develop a story, but right now, I can say that I intend on having at least some of the children of the NLH appear in the 1** **st** **season of the story.**

 **Xxx**

 **Kihonne: Alright guys, for the last time for this story, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Calla: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med, Lab Rats, or the Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.**

 **Xxx**

 **Calla's POV**

"No, no, you're putting too much in." Oliver grabbed the milk carton out of my hands, preventing me from pouring any more in. I frowned, confused.

"But the recipe says..." I trailed off when he began to shake his head. "I know how to read, Oliver. It definitely says two cups of milk."

He put the carton down with a sigh. "If you put more than a cup and a half, it'll taste weird." He explained. He smiled a little. "When it comes to cooking, you can't always follow the recipe."

I stared at him. "Then why would they have one if you weren't supposed to follow it?" This was why I didn't like cooking. They gave you clear instructions, and you were supposed to completely ignore them. It was asinine! "You know what, this is why I never cook."

"Yeah, that's why." He grumbled. He waved me off. "I can finish; you don't have to help."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes and moved to take a seat at the counter. I sat down and looked at him while he cooked. Oliver's eyes glanced up at me before turning their attention back to the meal.

"What?" He asked, glancing at the recipe he had literally just told me to not follow.

"Skylar told me the news." I told him, smiling. His lips spread, smiling a little. "Congrats."

"Thanks." He replied, grabbing the pasta box. I bit the inside of my lip.

"I've got a question for you." I continued. He chuckled a little and looked up at me.

"Let me guess; it's either 'are you going to ask her to marry you' or 'will the baby look weird because it's an alien-human hybrid'?" He guessed. I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Dani and Kaz - they haven't stopped bugging me since I told them."

I laughed, a part of me wondering who asked which question. "I was asking about marriage, but you know, come to think of it, has there ever been a baby born to a Calderan and a human? I don't remember Skylar mentioning."

"No, there hasn't. Calderan babies are usually...well, I guess you can call them test tube babies. This is definitely a first." He glanced at the stairs to make sure Skylar wasn't coming down them as he spoke. "Which is why I'm going to wait until she's a little less stressed about the idea to propose." He continued. "Besides, do you know how many Calderan marriage rituals I have to memorize just to ask her? For God's sake, it's a four word question."

"Calderans are biologically closer to human than almost any other alien species that we know of. Surely there can't be that much risk?" I mentioned. He shook his head.

"We're not worried about him so much health-wise - Horace thinks that he'll have an unusually strong immune system, actually. I'm more concerned about what he'll be able to do." Oliver explained. He shrugged. "He could end up having crazy powers, and I'm not sure if we know how to handle that. I mean, what if he starts creating space portals when he's two?"

"Please, let's not talk about babies with powers." I said with a grimace. He gave me a sympathetic look.

"Emily showing signs of super powers?" He guessed. I shook my head.

"Not yet, thank God, but the possibility is always going to be there." I place my hands over my face, then looked between the fingers. "I don't think I'm going to stop worrying about this until she's a teenager."

"Well, at least it's only a possibility for you." Oliver pointed out. "It's not an 'if' he gets powers, it's a 'what' powers will he have."

I smiled at him, understanding his worry. "So, 'he'. You guys already know the gender?"

"No, but someone's hoping for a boy." Skylar teased, taking a seat next to me. She gave Oliver a look. "I don't understand why you're so dead set on a boy. Won't you will love them either way?"

"Of course I will. But boys are easier. Girls are more difficult." He pointed out. Skylar frowned.

"Where did you hear that?" She questioned. Oliver paused.

"My mom, Kaz's mom, Mr. Davenport..." He listed. I glanced at Skylar.

"I lied to my mom for 4 years about my boyfriend having bionic abilities, then left to live on a private island with him a few months later before I'd even graduated high school. The worst thing Jaden ever did was get a speeding ticket." I pointed out. She cocked her head a little, acknowledging my point.

"Still, let's try not to hope for one more than the other, okay?" Skylar mentioned. Oliver sighed dramatically.

"Fine." He agreed, craning his neck to kiss her over the counter.

"Your food is burning." I pointed out, breaking up the kiss. Making a frustrated noise, Oliver ran back to the stove to continue stirring our dinner. I laughed, amused.

"What's so funny?" Chase questioned, walking down the stairs, Emily tucked away in his arms.

"Oliver made me stop cooking because I'm apparently bad at it, but then he burned the food." I pointed out, reaching out for my baby. Chase handed her over to me.

"Well, that's not nice of him." He commented, kissing me on the forehead. I smiled, choosing to ignore the fist bump he tried to secretly give Oliver.

"Hey, so who were you on the phone with?" Skylar asked curiously. Chase looked at her. "I overheard you talking to someone while you were changing Emily's diaper, and I don't think you were telling a three-month-old about taking a trip to New York."

"Oh, did Jess set up a meeting?" I asked, excited. Chase nodded.

"The first ever meeting of the Extraordinary Peoples Coalition is going to take place at the UN Headquarters in a month's time." He said proudly, leaning on the counter. He shook his head in amazement. "Over 250 representatives will be there, including aliens from 32 different planets. Nice job on getting the word out, by the way." He added, nodding to Skylar. She shrugged.

"It wasn't hard - there are a lot of species that have heroes working around the galaxy, including on Earth. It just makes sense for them to be working with the government rather than risk getting probed."

"Has that ever actually happened?" I asked, wondering. Skylar opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted when the door to the Penthouse opened.

"Guess who we ran into on the street?" Bree announced as she, Noah, and Jaden walked in. Before anyone could ask who she meant, Kaz and Dani followed them into the room.

"I thought you weren't getting in for another hour." Oliver smiled, walking over to give his best friend and his sister a hug.

"Yeah, well, it looked like Liv was about to hand out assignments, so we decided to leave early." Kaz explained.

"Someone still isn't used to Alivia telling him what to do." Dani explained, placing her bag on the ground by the couch before coming over to give us hugs as well.

"She's bossy." Kaz complained.

"She's your boss." Chase pointed out incredulously. Kaz rolled his eyes.

"She could still be less bossy." He pointed out. Chase opened his mouth to argue, but I raised a hand, stopping him.

"It's not worth it." I told him with an amused sigh.

 **Dani's POV**

"I can't believe you proposed on the top of the Eiffel Tower." Bree shook her head in amazement as she stared at the ring on my finger. Our dinner plates were scattered around the living room, all of us relaxing with coffee and cake that Jaden had made. She looked up at Kaz, wide-eyed. "That is literally the most romantic place on Earth."

"I know. My sisters made me watch a lot of rom-coms with them growing up." Kaz nodded seriously. I smiled at him.

"You, Kaz, are a secret romantic. I'm surprised." Calla complimented, shaking her head at him. "Is there a more romantic way to ask someone to marry you?"

Chase looked at her, brow furrowed in confusion. "I made you dinner…in the place where we first kissed…surrounded by flower petals…from the flower you were named after."

"Yes, but this is _Paris_ , Chase." Calla said in exasperation. He stared at her and she smiled before kissing him on the cheek to reassure him that she was joking.

"Yeah Chase, it's _Paris_." Kaz teased. I hit him lightly, though I had to say, the annoyance on Chase's face was quite amusing.

"So, no AJ?" I asked, changing the subject. I'd noticed that the kid hadn't come to greet us when we came in.

"I don't know how they managed it, but Spin, Daniel, and Bob managed to convince Douglas and Davenport to take a bunch of bionic kids to the new EPC building in New York." Chase explained. I nodded, understanding why Davenport would agree. The creation of the Extraordinary Peoples Coalition was the biggest event in superhero and bionic hero history to happen since the Mighty Med Massacre, so it made sense that the kids would want to see the new building with their own eyes. "AJ wanted to go, and we figured it would probably be a good idea for him to spend time with kids his own age."

"And you want those people to be Spin, Daniel, and Bob?" Bree questioned.

"Why not?" Calla questioned, confused. "I mean, sure, Spin's got his anger issues, and Daniel does occasionally get arrested, and Bob..." She trailed off, then stood up. "You know, saying this out loud is starting to make it seem like not such a good idea, so I'm just going to go call and check in."

She gently lowered Emily into Chase's arms, grabbed her phone, and left the room before he could stop her. Emily let out a happy noise, to which Chase smile. He glanced at us before adjusting the blanket she was swaddled in. "I've already got Rio keeping an eye on them." He explained to reassure us.

"Got it." Bree nodded, smirking a little.

"So, how's Jess doing with setting up the coalition?" I asked, curious. I knew that some people had been asked to be representatives in it - Rani and Alivia among them - but other than that, we still didn't know much about how it was progressing.

"We're set to have our first meeting in a month." Chase explained.

"Jessica and Miles must be crazy busy, between that and rebuilding S.H.I.R.T." Ollie commented. Chase nodded.

"Oh yeah. They let most of S.H.I.R.T.'s agents go - most of whom are now being investigated by the government for various crimes - and they're hiring a lot of new people. Some of Miles' old friends at UPSEI are helping him out with the process, but it's still going to take time before S.H.I.R.T. is what Jessica and Miles originally thought it was going to be." Chase explained.

"At least it won't be run by super-powered psychopaths this time." Kaz commented.

"I can drink to that." Jaden agreed. Bree laughed a little.

"Hey, Jess and Miles...they're dating, right? I'm not imagining that?" She questioned.

"Oh, there's definitely something going on, that's for sure." Calla agreed, coming back into the room. She sat down between Chase and Noah, who was currently playing with his feet with so much focus, it was like he'd never seen them before in his life. "Jess won't tell me what's going on, but something's going on. If they're not together yet, they will be by the end of month, guaranteed." She glanced at Chase. "Rio says the boys are fine."

"I'm pretty sure they don't need a babysitter." Kaz pointed out.

"You've never seen all four of them together." Jaden replied, taking a drink. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by a text alert from his phone. He glanced at it, then sent a quick reply.

"Uncle Tyler." He said to Bree when she gave him a quizzical look.

"Faith's dad?" Ollie guessed. Thankfully, Calla shook her head.

"No, that would be Uncle David, who isn't exactly thrilled with us for throwing his little girl in jail. Which is stupid, because she's crazy." Calla shrugged. "Uncle Tyler comes from Mom's side." She glanced at her brother. "So? Did you get it?"

"Get what?" Kaz asked, confused. Jaden sent Calla a look - apparently, whatever this was about, he wasn't planning on saying anything about it - then sighed.

"He offered me a job at his restaurant." He explained. Bree beamed.

"Not just any restaurant. It's a 5-star Italian restaurant." She bragged. "His uncle opened it up in LA last year, and it's already been rated one of the best in the city." She kissed Jaden on the cheek. "I told you he was going to give it to you."

"Congrats." Skylar told the older boy. I smiled, a little confused.

"Yeah, congratulations, but did you say LA? As in Los Angelos...in California?"

"Yeah. It's just such an amazing opportunity - he'd be an idiot to turn it down." Bree replied. Jaden smiled at her and took her hand.

"Besides, it'll be nice to closer to home. Mission Creek would only be a few hours away." He added.

"And there's a few amazing museums in the area that I can apply to. My boss, Cheryl, has already written me an amazing reference letter, so I'm sure to get a good job." Bree continued.

"Best of luck then." I held my cup out towards them, then couldn't help but laugh when it was Noah who tried to clink glasses with me, his sippy cup hitting the coffee mug so hard that I almost dropped it.

"Careful, bug." Bree ran her hand over his head, smiling.

"You excited to go to LA, kid?" Kaz smiled at the kid. Noah laughed.

"Lay! Lay!" He laughed. Kaz stopped, then looked at Jaden and Bree with a sheepish grin.

"Please tell me his first word wasn't 'lay', because that'll be hilarious to make fun of him for it when he's older." He told them. Bree sighed.

"No, no. You want to hear his first word?" She asked. She turned to her son. "Hey, honey, what's my name?"

Noah just stared at her. Jaden smiled at him. "Who's this, buddy?" He tried, pointing at Bree. Noah flashed them a toothy grin.

"Moo-may!" He clapped. Kaz nearly choked on his drink, he laughed so hard.

"Yeah." Bree nodded. She tried to look annoyed at the nickname, but I could tell that she was pleased that her name, although butchered, had been Noah's first word.

"Wait a minute." Something occurred to me just then. Or maybe, I already knew it, and it was just hitting me for the first time. Either way, I felt my heartstrings tug painfully. "If Kaz and I are going to New York with the NLH, and Ollie and Skylar are going to Caldera, and you guys are going to California, that means..."

"The team is done." Chase said solemnly, staring at his drink. The room went quiet as we all considered it. I mean, we all knew it was coming. It had been coming for a long time, I thought. We'd been a good team, but things like this weren't meant to last forever, no matter how much we wished they would. We'd all known that one day, we'd all leave. I just guess that none of us expected it to be so soon.

"This was always supposed to be temporary, guys." Skylar said slowly, swallowing thickly. I watched as Ollie took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Hell, I mean, I never even intended to stay on Earth once I got my powers back, and that was years ago."

"Almost five years." Ollie added, smiling sadly. He shook his head. "I can't believe it's been five years since Davenport brought us all together."

"I can't believe I've been living with you weirdos for five years." Calla joked. Chase elbowed her gently, and she rolled her eyes. "Hey, I said you guys were weird, not that I didn't love every single second of it."

"I think what CeeCee is trying to say is that she's going to miss all of us." Jaden chuckled. Calla nodded her agreement. "I know I am."

"We'll keep in touch." Kaz reasoned. He raised his head. "We have to promise that. No matter what state, country...planet," he sent my brother a sideways smirk, "we end up on, we stay in touch."

"Definitely." Bree nodded in agreement. She was biting her lip a little, her eyes slightly watery. "It's not like we won't have phones or email or anything. We should let the distance break us up."

"Guys." I cleared my throat, looking at them imploringly. "The team isn't done. We're just...getting some space. I mean, if we need each other, are you really telling me that there's any one of us that wouldn't drop everything to come help?"

"Dani's right." Chase agreed, standing up. "We're still friends, and we're still heroes, no matter where we go. And if the world needs us, we'll be there, every time. So this isn't goodbye, it's just..."

"See you at the next world threatening disaster." Calla suggested. Chase smiled at her.

"See you at the next world threatening disaster." He repeated, smirking. He looked back at us. "We're still a team, even if we aren't together. Alright?"

"Agreed." Skylar nodded. I could see the others smiling, liking what he said. He held up his coffee mug.

"To the Elite Force." He toasted.

"To the Elite Force." We all said in unison.

 **Xxx**

 **I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read this story, especially those of you who have left me reviews. You guys are the reason why I write, don't ever forget that.**

 **Okay, so I know that a lot of you are upset because we're saying goodbye to these characters, and a few weeks back, a reviewer asked if I was going to do anything special to say goodbye to them. That got me thinking, then planning, then plotting, and now, I have an announcement. I'm going to be posting a tribute story for the characters. Each chapter will focus on a single hero from the past few series. This tribute story is titled "The End of an Era", and I will be posting 3 chapters a week – one on Tuesdays, and two on Saturdays. I figured it would be a nice way to say goodbye to our characters, and that it will make a good lead up to Legacies, which will be posted when the tribute story is done. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, but I will be giving more information on this when I post the first chapter…tomorrow. Yes, that's right, the first chapter of The End of an Era will be posted tomorrow, on October 16** **th** **! So, hopefully I'll see most of you then!**

 **Anyway, please tell me what you guys thought. I may not be doing anymore review responses for this story, but that does not mean I don't want to hear what you guys have to say! Please, leave me one last review! Oh, and if you have any questions about this story, The End of an Era, or Legacies, please either PM me directly, or review under a username so I can PM the answer to you as soon as I get the chance!**

 **Thank you all once again, and I hope you enjoyed the story!**


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